Lee Hae-chan, on the Highest Early Voting Rate Ever, Says "A Good Sign for Lee Jae-myung's Victory"

"Lee's Approval Rating Rises About 10 Days Before Voting Day"

Former Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Amid the record-high early voting rate in the 20th presidential election, former Democratic Party leader Lee Hae-chan stated on the 7th, "In every aspect, the high early voting rate is a positive sign for the victory of Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung."

In a column posted on Lee Jae-myung's communication platform 'Lee Jae-myung Plus' on the same day, former leader Lee said, "In fact, this candidate had more so-called 'Shy Lee Jae-myung' supporters, or more precisely, passive supporters, than any previous Democratic Party candidate."

He continued, "A high voter turnout means that these people came out to vote in large numbers," adding, "From about 10 days before election day, the candidate's approval rating showed an upward trend. Usually, approval rating trends last about 2 to 3 weeks, so when the turnout is high, the upward trend is likely to strengthen."

Regarding the opposition candidate unification, he pointed out, "With Ahn Cheol-soo's sudden withdrawal the day before early voting, Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, seems to be expecting the effect of unification," but added, "However, having been involved in many unifications since the DJP coalition, I can assert that unification is effective only when its justification and process are well managed."

Previously, during the 15th presidential election in 1997, Kim Dae-jung, chairman of the New Politics National Conference, and Kim Jong-pil, chairman of the United Liberal Democrats, dramatically agreed on a presidential candidate unification known as the 'DJP coalition.'

Former leader Lee said, "If one candidate unilaterally surrenders by betraying the trust and determination of their supporters, as is happening now, the effect is almost nonexistent," adding, "Without justification, trust, or will, unilateral surrender in unification only makes former candidate Ahn Cheol-soo's supporters angrier. Although my relationship with former candidate Ahn over the past 10 years has not been very good, I thought he was not someone who would lose trust and will and disappear like this. I don't know what happened, but it's unfortunate."

Furthermore, he said, "Of course, even without this election situation analysis, I am confident that this candidate and the Democratic Party will win. The reason is simple: because I trust our people," adding, "If the people vote with hope for victory, this candidate will follow the path walked by Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, and Moon Jae-in, correcting the shortcomings and further developing the strengths of that path."

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