Chung Sye-kyun, Lee Kwang-jae unify their candidacy

Jul 06, 2021, 08:53 am

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The ruling Democratic Party’s two presidential contenders, Chung Sye-kyun (right) and Lee Kwang-jae, leave the conference room after holding a press conference announcing an agreement to join forces, with Lee dropping his bid to back Chung, at the National Assembly on July 5, 2021./ Photographed by Lee Byung-hwa

AsiaToday reporter Jo Jae-hak

The first merger among nine presidential contenders of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) has been made since the party started its primary race last week, hinting at the possibility of more unifications to defeat the front runner, Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung.

Former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and Rep. Lee Kwang-jae held a press conference at the National Assembly on Monday to announce that Lee had bowed out and endorsed Chung. As a result, eight candidates will compete in the party’s first elimination round Sunday to select six contenders.

“We have decided to unite our forces to achieve victory in the recreation of the government,” Chung said. “It is a solidarity of innovation for the succession of the Roh Moo-hyun spirit and the Moon Jae-in government, as well as for the establishment of the 4th democratic government and the development of the future economy of the Republic of Korea,” he explained. “I will actively support and realize Rep. Lee Kwang-jae’s ambitious aspirations and dreams for the future economy of Korea.”

“The Republic of Korea is at a critical moment, and there’s no time for a president to practice,” Rep. Lee said. “Please give support to former Prime Minister Chung. I will do my best to help,” he said.

Observers speculate that the move aims to counter Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung, who is currently leading the opinion polls of presidential hopefuls for the ruling bloc. The DP will elect its presidential candidate through a primary on Sept. 5, but if no one scores a majority vote, there will be a runoff voting to elect the final winner on Sept. 10. Observers say that if former DP leader Lee Nak-yon joins the unification, its impact in the runoff voting could be huge.

Former DP leader Lee Nak-yon also left open the possibility of unification with former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun. After officially launching his presidential bid on Monday, Lee told reporters at the Seoul National Cemetery that unification is something “natural for people who share intention to join forces”. In a meeting with Chung on Saturday, Lee said, “I have a special responsibility to recreate the government and succeed and develop a democratic government. I will work together to fulfill the special responsibility.”

Both inside and outside the political circles see the unification as a catalyst for solidarity of candidates rather than an attempt to raise approval ratings. “Rep. Lee’s approval rating is low and former PM Chung’s is not hight, and it is difficult to expect a big impact,” said Park Sang-byung, a professor at Inha University, in a phone interview with AsiaToday. “It is significant that it opened a door of unification in the primary race, serving as a pump primer for unity against the Gyeonggi governor’s predominance,” he said.

#Chung Sye-kyun #Lee Kwang-jae #unification #Democratic Party