Lee Jae-myung's Candidacy... People Power Party Criticizes "Is Incheon a Refuge? Running Away from Gyeonggi Province"

Minju "Lee Jae-myung, Key to Overcoming Election Disadvantage" Strategic Nomination for 'Incheon Gyeyang Eul'
Lee Jun-seok "No Justification for Running in Incheon"...Yoo Jeong-bok "Irresponsible Politicians Must Be Ousted"

Lee Jae-myung, Standing Advisor of the Democratic Party of Korea./Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Lee Jae-myung, Senior Advisor of the Democratic Party of Korea, will run in the by-election for the National Assembly seat in Incheon Gyeyang-eul, held alongside the June 1 local elections. This marks his return after about two months of hiatus following his defeat in the 20th presidential election. The People Power Party launched an offensive, claiming that Lee’s candidacy in the Incheon district lacks justification. On the other hand, the Democratic Party regards him as the "key to overcoming the disadvantage" and decided to strategically nominate him while appointing him as the overall Senior Election Countermeasures Headquarters Chief.

After the emergency committee meeting on the 6th, Democratic Party Chief Spokesperson Ko Yong-jin stated, "The leadership requested Senior Advisor Lee Jae-myung to run directly to secure victory in the local elections, and he agreed." Regarding the criticism that Lee chose a district favorable to the ruling party, he explained, "There are polls indicating that Incheon Gyeyang-eul is by no means an easy district. Also, Lee must lead the entire election campaign. The decision was made so that he not only enters the National Assembly but also that his influence extends to Incheon and other regions."

The People Power Party immediately criticized it as a "candidacy without justification." On the same day, Representative Lee Jun-seok appeared on CBS Radio’s "Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show" and said, "Gyeyang-eul is a district very favorable to the Democratic Party. Usually, prominent figures choose districts where they have ties or difficult districts to strengthen their political standing. It seems Lee ran in the presidential election because he wanted to, but why is he waiting for the party’s choice in Gyeyang-eul? It’s because he knows he lacks justification."

Representative Lee also mentioned the Daejang-dong development project favoritism allegations, saying, "He has some ties to Bundang Gap in Seongnam. He has been promoting himself as a resident of Sunnae-dong, but if he abandons his connection to Bundang and runs in Incheon Gyeyang-eul, there must be justification." He criticized that Lee appears to be running based on election advantages and disadvantages.

Yoo Jeong-bok, People Power Party’s Incheon mayoral candidate, also fired remarks at the local election Central Election Committee launch and metropolitan mayor nomination ceremony held at the National Assembly that day: "Incheon is neither a refuge nor a hiding place. Citizens will not tolerate former representative Song Young-gil, who fled from Incheon, and Senior Advisor Lee, who fled from Gyeonggi Province to Incheon. We will use the power of the citizens to oust irresponsible and shameless politicians."

The Democratic Party holds the position that Lee’s early deployment is necessary to secure victory in the local elections and the National Assembly by-elections. On the 5th, Park Ji-hyun, Co-Chair of the Emergency Committee, said in an interview with MBC Radio’s "Pyo Chang-won’s News High Kick," "The criticism that he fled from Seongnam to Gyeyang cannot be overlooked. However, as you know, the local election situation is not easy. We must mobilize all party resources. Lee is a valuable asset of the party and a key figure who can overcome the disadvantage."

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