Ahead of Honam Primary, Lee Nak-yeon Gains 'Pro-Moon Jae-in Faction Support' Wings

Hong Young-pyo, Shin Dong-geun, Kim Jong-min
Pro-Moon Jae-in Lawmakers Declare Support for Lee Nak-yeon
Pro-Moon Figures in Chung Sye-kyun's Camp
Growing Possibility of Joining Lee Nak-yeon’s Camp

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] Former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon, who must secure at least one victory to advance to the runoff vote, is putting his all into the Honam region primary election scheduled for the 25th-26th. Amid this, declarations of support from key pro-Moon (pro-Moon Jae-in) faction lawmakers have emerged, raising a glimmer of hope for Lee's camp. This is because supporters of former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, who recently withdrew from the presidential race, are increasingly likely to shift their support to Lee.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 16th, lawmakers Hong Young-pyo, Shin Dong-geun, and Kim Jong-min, members of the pro-Moon research group ‘Democracy 4.0,’ declared their support for Lee. They stated, "Lee Nak-yeon is the sure-fire candidate who will bring victory to the Democratic Party in next year’s presidential election," and added, "He is the person best suited to innovate the limitations and shortcomings of the Moon administration."

The public endorsement by key pro-Moon forces is expected to lead to more pro-Moon figures from former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun’s camp joining Lee Nak-yeon’s campaign. Oh Young-hoon, chief spokesperson for Lee’s campaign, said in a phone interview, "Since this is a declaration from pro-Moon lawmakers who play a central role in Democracy 4.0, I believe it will have a ripple effect," and added, "We have long shared a vision for a welfare state and have been critical of (Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung’s) basic income policy, so I expect this endorsement to help consolidate support."

Lee plans to leverage this momentum to focus all efforts on the upcoming Honam primary. On the same day, Lee held a press conference at the Gwangju City Council’s Citizen Communication Office, appealing, "Please create a drama by staging a turnaround in Gwangju and advancing to the runoff vote."

The Democratic Party will decide its final candidate on October 10 through a Seoul regional primary. If no candidate secures a majority, the top two candidates will proceed to a runoff vote 4-5 days later. Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, who confirmed his ‘dominance’ by receiving over 50% support in the first Super Week, is moving to secure his place in the final election without a runoff, but Lee Nak-yeon plans to overturn the situation in the Honam region.

Compared to the Chungcheong region (75,000 voters), Daegu-Gyeongbuk (16,000 voters), and Gangwon (16,000 voters) primaries held earlier, the Honam region has 200,000 voters. Therefore, if Lee succeeds in overturning the situation here, it is judged that it will greatly influence the atmosphere of the upcoming primaries in Jeju (October 1, 13,000 voters), Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam (October 2, 62,000 voters), and Incheon (October 3, 22,000 voters).

Lee appealed to Honam voters, saying, "If Gwangju and Jeonnam- Buk provide full support, I will also gain strong support in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.