Lee Jae-myung, "Judgment" Even Before the Court... Final Rally in 'Yongsan'

Lee Jae-myung "We Must Judge the Government That Set South Korea Back"
Democrats Hold Final Rally in Yongsan, the Heart of Yoon Administration
Cho Kuk Gathers at Gwanghwamun... "Highlighting the Symbolism of the Candlelight Revolution"

The opposition's final campaign keyword a day before the general election boils down to 'judgment of the regime.' Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, raised his voice even while appearing in court, saying, "The Yoon Seok-yeol administration has set South Korea back." The Democratic Party plans to hold a 'finale rally' at Yongsan Station Plaza, near the Presidential Office, while the Joguk Innovation Party will gather at Gwanghwamun Plaza, where the 'candlelight protests' took place.

On the morning of the 9th, Lee Jae-myung met with reporters in front of the Seoul Central District Court and said, "I will not speak about the ruthlessness of the political prosecution that has dragged in even my wife due to the unfairness and injustice we have suffered for two years," adding, "No matter how great the pain and inconvenience my family endures, it cannot compare to the suffering in the lives of the people." Lee had requested a change of trial date citing 'election campaigning' as the reason, but the court rejected it.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the trial related to allegations involving Daejang-dong, Baekhyeon-dong, and Seongnam FC at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 2nd, and is stating his position. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

Lee said, "Over the past two years, the Yoon Seok-yeol administration has set the country back in all aspects: economy, livelihood, diplomacy and security, and democracy. The economy has collapsed, and people's livelihoods have been ruined." He also claimed, "They fail to control inflation but only go after political opponents and opposing forces."

The Democratic Party will launch its final campaign rally around 7 p.m. at Yongsan Station Plaza in Seoul under the name 'Judgment of the Regime · People's Victory Full-Force Rally.' After finishing his trial that day, Lee plans to either conduct last-minute campaigning in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon, or move to Yongsan Station Plaza in time. The Democratic Party also held its campaign launch ceremony here on the 28th of last month. This reflects an intention to emphasize the 'judgment of the regime' slogan as much as possible in the area where the Presidential Office is located. Yongsan Station Plaza is only 1.2 km in a straight line from the Presidential Office.

While Lee is absent due to the trial, Kim Boo-kyum, the standing co-chairman of the campaign committee, is visiting tough districts to secure last-minute votes. On the morning of the same day, Kim visited Yongsan-gu and Jongno-gu in Seoul to support candidates. In the afternoon, he plans to tour the PK region, including Gimhae and Changwon in Gyeongnam, and Gangseo-gu, Saha-gu, Sasang-gu, Nam-gu, Suyeong-gu, and Busanjin-gu in Busan, to maximize consolidation of the support base.

Joguk, at the Candlelight Protest Site: "Early End to Prosecutorial Dictatorship"

Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, is holding a press conference in front of Gimpo Art Hall in Gyeonggi on the 8th and answering questions from the press. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

The Joguk Innovation Party, which has positioned itself as the 'icebreaker' of the Democratic Party, will gather around 8 p.m. at Gwanghwamun Plaza in front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. Gwanghwamun Plaza is where large-scale candlelight protests took place during the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye and where Joguk's leader officially started election campaigning. They plan to leverage the symbolism of the 'Candlelight Revolution' to strengthen the call for judgment of the regime. Shin Jang-sik, chief spokesperson of the Joguk Innovation Party, said, "The reason for holding the final rally at Gwanghwamun is because it is the epicenter of the Candlelight Revolution," adding, "We will emphasize that symbolism and shout for the 'early end to prosecutorial dictatorship' until the very end."