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Rep. Lee Hae-sik (right), chief of staff to former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, submits Lee’s candidate registration documents on his behalf at the Democratic Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on April 15. / Photo by Song Ui-joo

Former Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung has officially entered the party’s presidential primary race, marking the completion of preliminary registrations by all major contenders within the party.

On April 15, Rep. Lee Hae-sik, Lee's chief of staff, visited the DP headquarters in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, to register Lee as a candidate for the party’s presidential nomination.

While Lee Jae-myung did not offer any public remarks regarding the registration, Rep. Lee Hae-sik said on his behalf, “We hope this primary will be fair, inspire hope among the people, and serve as a campaign to defend democracy and the constitutional order.”

On the same day, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon also submitted his registration documents in person. Speaking to reporters, Kim emphasized, “It’s not ‘Of course it’s Lee Jae-myung’ (a common phrase abbreviated as ‘Eo-Dae-Myung’), but ‘Of course the people choose the president’ (‘Eo-Dae-Guk’),” and pledged to be a “proud and honest economic expert.”

Former South Gyeongsang Governor Kim Kyung-soo also completed his registration earlier that morning. He said, “This primary must lead to an overwhelming change in government that fully overcomes the recent crisis of martial law and insurrection,” adding that only through a ‘coalition of light’—a unification of forces that defended the Constitution through the impeachment—can the next democratic administration succeed.

With these registrations, all key figures within the Democratic Party previously considered potential presidential hopefuls have now entered the race. Former lawmaker Kim Doo-kwan had earlier declined to participate, criticizing the party’s primary rules. “A nomination process without consensus is tantamount to coronating a single candidate,” he said.