Lee Byounghoon Declares Exit from 'Blind Primary Train'... Withdraws from Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Special Mayor Primary

"With the Special Law Passed, the Election Landscape Has Changed: Criteria for Choosing a Leader Must Be Redefined"

Criticizes "Lack of Time and Space for Policy Competition Amid Bandwagon Effect from Polls"

Vows "To Contribute to the Success of the Unified Special City Through Policy, Not Political Alliances"

Lee Byounghoon, Senior Vice Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea's Honam Development Special Committee, has announced that he will not participate in the primary race for the Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Special Mayor candidacy.

At a press conference held at the Gwangju City Council on the afternoon of March 16, Lee stated, "After much deliberation, I have decided to step off the breathless 'blind primary train,'" thus declaring his intention not to run in the primary.

Lee Byunghun, Senior Vice Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea's Honam Development Special Committee, held a press conference at the Gwangju City Council on the afternoon of the 16th and announced his decision to not participate in the preliminary election for the integrated special mayor of Jeonnam and Gwangju. Photo by Song Bohyun

Regarding the launch of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Special City, he said, "A new era of metropolitan autonomy, with finances and authority on par with the Seoul metropolitan area in every sector, including industry, population, transportation, and budget, has begun," and evaluated it as "a historic achievement brought about by President Lee Jaemyung and the aspirations of local residents."

However, he pointed out that although the election environment has changed significantly since the passage of the special law, the Democratic Party's primary system has not reflected these changes.

Lee argued, "If the landscape has changed, the criteria for selecting a leader should also be redefined. Frequent opinion polls conducted even before the special law was passed have already created a bandwagon effect, and the primary train continues on with that momentum."

He particularly emphasized that candidates who are not currently in office lack the time and space to compete on policy grounds.

He stated, "There is an absolute shortage of time and space to persuade voters with policy. I have deeply considered what I can contribute if I cannot persuade through policy."

Lee underscored his administrative experience and expressed his intention to contribute to future policy discussions for the unified special city.

He explained, "As county governor of Gwangyang, I integrated Donggwangyang City and Gwangyang County to create what is now Gwangyang City. During President Roh Moo-hyun's administration, I participated in the development of the administrative-centered complex city and the Asian Culture Hub City projects. As Vice Mayor for Culture and Economy of Gwangju, I developed the Gwangju-Style Job Policy, and as a National Assemblyman and Senior Vice Chairman of the Democratic Party's Honam Development Special Committee, I developed 26 policies needed for the unified special city."

He added, "I will serve as the eyes and standard of the citizens in evaluating the policies needed for the special city, and I will contribute and dedicate myself to the success of the unified special city through policy."

He also drew a clear line against interpretations that his decision was based on a political alliance with a particular candidate.

He said, "This choice was not made with any political coalition or alliance in mind with a specific candidate, but rather was made after considering the current political reality."

Lee further stressed, "Since all current candidates have either been entrusted with or have previously held power delegated by local residents, they bear the unlimited responsibility to ensure the success of the unified special city project."

In closing, he said, "I am sorry and grateful to the supporters who stood by me until the end."

Candidates for the Democratic Party of Korea's Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Special Mayor Preliminary Election, Kim Youngrok (from left), Kang Kijeong, Jung Junho, Ju Cheolhyun, Shin Junghun, Min Hyungbae, and Lee Byunghun, are posing for a commemorative photo at the joint speech event for preliminary candidates for the Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Special Mayor of the 9th Nationwide Local Elections held at the Democratic Party of Korea headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul on the 14th. Photo by Yonhap News

With Lee's mid-race withdrawal, the Democratic Party of Korea's primary for Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Special Mayor has now narrowed to a six-way race among Gwangju Mayor Kang Kijeong, South Jeolla Province Governor Kim Youngrok, and National Assembly members Min Hyungbae, Shin Junghoon, Jung Junho, and Joo Cheolhyun. This is the second withdrawal announcement following Assemblyman Lee Gaeho.

The Democratic Party began the process with a joint speech meeting on March 14, followed by group discussion sessions on March 17–18, and a preliminary primary using a 100% party member vote on March 19–20. Then, an in-depth regional debate with a policy jury will be held on March 27–29, and the main primary, which reflects 50% party members and 50% public opinion polls, will take place from April 3–5. If no candidate receives a majority in the main primary, a runoff between the top two candidates will be held from April 12–14.

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