"Democratic Party Loses Moral Hegemony in This Election"
"Centrist Public Opinion Is Greatly Shaken"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, Lee Nak-yeon, announced that he would 'accept' the results of the presidential primary. In response, former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon said, "It will be truly difficult to accept," but emphasized, "It is better for him to accept the outcome and support the party."
On the 13th, Professor Jin appeared on CBS Radio's 'Hanpan Seungbu' and said, "If the primary had been delayed by just about a week, he could have definitely made it to the final round, and if he had reached the final round, he might have been able to overturn the results. It is truly unfortunate that he lost a victory that was within his grasp."
He continued, "If presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung were to fall at any point, Lee Nak-yeon should be the 'Plan B,' but he cannot go forward by hurting the feelings of his supporters. Therefore, accepting the results is the best choice for him (Lee Nak-yeon) as well," he explained.
Professor Jin pointed out, "Whether they become one team or not is not a big issue for the Democratic Party's supporters, but for the moderate voters who were close to the Democratic Party, public sentiment is greatly unsettled. This election is historically the first in which the Democratic Party lost moral hegemony among the elections it has held."
He also suggested, "Rather than candidate Lee Jae-myung trying to evade responsibility, he should honestly acknowledge his own responsibility and work to win back their hearts. In that process, it would be good for former leader Lee to provide a lot of help."
Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province and the Democratic Party of Korea's 20th presidential candidate, is receiving congratulations from primary candidate Lee Nak-yeon at the joint Seoul rally held on the afternoon of the 10th at the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Olympic Park, Songpa-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News
On the same day, former leader Lee posted a message titled 'A Letter to the Beloved Democratic Party' on his Facebook, expressing his intention to accept the primary results.
He said, "Although the issue of handling votes from withdrawn presidential candidates remains a task, I respect the decision of the party's executive committee. I will accept the results of the presidential primary."
He added, "I will work for the victory of the Democratic Party. Now is a crisis for the Democratic Party. In the face of crisis, embracing each other and winning with that strength is the proud history of the Democratic Party," he emphasized.
He continued, "The river does not give up on the sea. We must become a river together without giving up on a country worthy of the name. The Moon Jae-in administration must succeed. Let us surely establish the 4th democratic government," he added.
Earlier, Lee's camp raised objections to the Democratic Party's presidential primary results. Although Lee Jae-myung, governor of Gyeonggi Province, was elected as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate with a cumulative vote rate of 50.29%, they argued that when including the votes of former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and lawmaker Kim Doo-kwan, who withdrew during the primary and whose votes were invalidated, the majority falls below 50%. If Lee's vote share is less than a majority, an additional runoff vote must be held.
Accordingly, Lee's camp requested the Democratic Party's executive committee to convene and provide an interpretation of the voting rights. However, the Democratic Party decided not to accept Lee's camp's objection at the executive committee meeting held on the 13th.
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