Lee Jae-myung Secures Primary Win in South Korea's Chungcheong Region for Presidential Election

Synopsis

Lee Jae-myung, the former leader of South Korea's Democratic Party, won a decisive victory in the Chungcheong primary, positioning him as a strong candidate for the June 3 presidential election. His victory comes after the ouster of former President Yoon Suk Yeol over a martial law declaration.

Key Takeaways

Lee Jae-myung won 88.15% of votes in Chungcheong primary.
His main competitors received 7.54% and 4.31% respectively.
The Democratic Party will finalize its candidate by April 27.
Lee aims to fulfill the people's aspiration for a new nation.
The election follows the ousting of President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Seoul, April 19 (NationPress) Lee Jae-myung, the former leader of the South Korean Democratic Party (DP), achieved a significant triumph in the primary election held in the central Chungcheong area on Saturday, ahead of the upcoming presidential election scheduled for June 3.

Having announced his candidacy just a week ago, Lee is currently leading in opinion polls. He garnered an impressive 88.15% of the total votes in the presidential primary across the provinces of South and North Chungcheong, as well as in the cities of Daejeon and Sejong, as reported by party officials.

Lee triumphed over two other contenders in the DP by a considerable margin: Kim Dong-yeon, the Governor of Gyeonggi Province, received 7.54%, and Kim Kyung-soo, a former governor of South Gyeongsang Province, received 4.31%.

This decisive win in the initial round of the party's primary positions Lee favorably for nomination as the presidential candidate for the liberal party. The DP plans to conduct three additional regional primaries before selecting its candidate on April 27, according to Yonhap news agency.

After the results were announced, Lee expressed, "I will faithfully fulfill the people's aspiration to create a new nation."

In his declaration of candidacy, Lee promised to be "the best instrument" for establishing a "true" Korea while emphasizing a commitment to enhancing economic growth.

This election was prompted by the removal of former President Yoon Suk Yeol due to his controversial martial law declaration last December. Notably, Lee narrowly lost the 2022 presidential race to Yoon.

Additionally, Yoon, who rapidly transitioned from a top prosecutor to the presidency in a mere three years, became the second President in South Korea's history to be formally ousted from office, following his unexpected martial law attempt that unsettled the nation and intensified political divisions.

Yoon, aged 64, now parallels the fate of former President Park Geun-hye, who was dismissed in 2017 when the Constitutional Court upheld her impeachment linked to a corruption scandal.