Lee Jae-myung reelected as leader of Korea's main opposition party

By AJU PRESS Posted : August 18, 2024, 20:32 Updated : August 18, 2024, 20:38
Lee Jae-myung celebrates his reelection as chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party at Olympic Park in southern Seoul on Aug 18 2024 Yonhap
Lee Jae-myung celebrates his reelection as chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party at Olympic Park in southern Seoul on Aug. 18, 2024. Yonhap
SEOUL, August 18 (AJU PRESS) -- Lee Jae-myung, former leader of South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party (DP), was reelected as party chairman on Sunday.

During the one-month national convention that concluded on the day, Lee garnered 85.4 percent of the vote, the highest-ever support rate in the party’s leadership elections.

Lee defeated party heavyweight Kim Doo-gwan, who won 12.12 percent, and fringe candidate Kim Ji-soo, who received 2.48 percent. Lee will serve as chairman for two years.

The liberal opposition party also elected five Supreme Council members: Kim Min-seok, Jeon Hyun-heui, Han Jun-ho, Kim Byung-joo and Lee Un-ju.

Lee's victory was widely expected, as he had already secured nearly 90 percent of votes cast by regional party members by Saturday. 

Lee, a former governor of Gyeonggi Province, is considered the DP's strongest potential candidate for the 2027 presidential race, despite facing trials in four cases, including a land development scandal and bribery allegations linked to North Korea fund transfers.

In the 2022 presidential election, he was narrowly defeated by Yoon Suk Yeol of the conservative People Power Party (PPP). Later that year, he became DP chairman but resigned in June to seek reelection.

Upon his reelection, Lee proposed one-on-one talks with President Yoon to address urgent economic and political issues.

"The most urgent task is reviving the people's livelihoods, but the agenda need not be limited if it can give hope to the public," Lee said in his acceptance speech at the DP national convention at Seoul's Olympic Park.

Lee also offered to meet with PPP leader Han Dong-hoon to discuss a wide range of pressing issues, particularly the opposition-proposed independent probe into allegations that Yoon and top officials interfered in a military investigation into the death of a Marine during flood relief efforts last year. 

In May, Yoon vetoed the bill after the DP unilaterally passed it through the National Assembly.
 
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