Lee Jae-myung: "Gangseo District Mayor By-election is a Prelude to Next Year's General Election... Must Win"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, expressed on the 28th that the by-election for the mayor of Gangseo District in Seoul is "a preliminary battle for next year's general election, which is a referendum on the current administration," emphasizing the determination to win at all costs.

On the same day, Lee received a situation report on the Gangseo District mayoral election as his first party duty after the rejection of his arrest warrant and urged full support. Lee is receiving treatment at Green Hospital in Jungnang District, Seoul, to recover from fasting, and Cho Jung-sik, the party secretary-general, and Lee Hae-sik, head of the election support headquarters, visited him to provide the status report.

Lee said, "The Yoon Seok-yeol administration is not only incompetent but also lacks the will to become competent," adding, "The residents of Gangseo District and the people must show that the government’s failure cannot be covered up by political strife and eliminating political opponents."

He continued, "(Regarding the Gangseo District mayoral by-election) I believe the fate of the entire country is at stake, and a system that mobilizes the entire party to make every effort is necessary."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is receiving a report on the by-election status for the Mayor of Gangseo District, Seoul, from Secretary-General Jo Jeong-sik and Deputy Secretary-General Lee Hae-sik at Green Hospital in Jungnang District, Seoul, on the 28th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Earlier, on the previous day, Lee had a phone call with Jin Gyo-hoon, the Democratic Party candidate for Gangseo District mayor, saying, "This election is not only about Gangseo District but is a nationwide election to judge their reckless violent rule, failure in people’s livelihood, and failure in state affairs," and urged, "We must show that if politics continues like this, the people will surely pass judgment. Since candidate Jin is at the center of this, I ask him to fight with the resolve of 'live or die' (sa-jeuk-saeng)."

On the same day, Lee also mentioned the rejection of his arrest warrant, saying, "It is fortunate that the court, as the last bastion of human rights, made a judgment in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution."