After 4 rounds of voting in primaries, DP set to finalize nominee on April 27; PPP on May 3
Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea's former chair and most likely nominee, is on a winning streak in the major liberal party's three-way presidential primary.
Lee on Sunday secured another victory in the North and South Gyeongsang provinces, with a whopping 90.81 percent of primary voters choosing him. Lee's two primary challengers, former South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Kyung-soo and Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Dong-yeon, trailed far behind at 5.93 percent and 3.26 percent, respectively.
Campaigning in the conservative-leaning Gyeongsang provinces, Lee announced a pledge to move the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to the port city of Busan. Lee also promised to build industry clusters for automobiles and secondary batteries around Daegu, another key city in the region.
The former South Gyeongsang Province governor, a close aide to the Democratic Party's previous President Moon Jae-in, pledged to relocate the Korea Development Bank from Seoul to Busan. The Gyeonggi Province governor said he would transform cities outside the Seoul area into megacities.
Lee's victory on Sunday builds on his overwhelming win in the North and South Chungcheong provinces on Saturday, where he scored 88.15 percent of the votes. The former Democratic Party chair's two rivals, the Gyeonggi Province governor and former South Gyeongsang Province governor, scored 7.54 percent and 4.31 percent, respectively.
In a speech, Lee said he would "embrace aspirations to create a new South Korea," referring to his slogan, "real Korea begins now."
Lee's win in the swing provinces of Chungcheong was celebrated by his campaign as a "barometer of where independent voters stand." "Chungcheong, a key region that has decided past elections, has chosen Lee Jae-myung with overwhelming support," said Rep. Kang Yu-jung, spokesperson for Lee's campaign.
The Democratic Party primary began last week amid discord over voting rules. The primary is being weighted so that voters who have been affiliated with the Democratic Party for a year or longer account for half of the total, while the other half is nonpartisan. This contrasts with the People Power Party's open primary, which allows all eligible voters to take part in determining the nominee.
The Democratic Party has justified its half-open, half-closed primary as a way of "winnowing out candidates who are not as well-aligned with the party's values." Lee's primary rivals have protested, however, saying that limiting the participation of independent voters could give the former party chair an unfair advantage. They said registered Democratic Party members lean strongly toward support for Lee, who is less popular among independent and swing voters.
In the latest Gallup Korea poll released Friday, Lee had the support of 38 percent of respondents to be the country's next president. He was followed by three of his top conservative rivals — acting President Han Duck-soo, former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo and former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo — each receiving 7 percent. Han Dong-hoon, the former People Power Party chair, stood at 6 percent.
The Gallup Korea poll, which took place April 15-17, featured 1,000 eligible voters aged 18 and older. More about the poll is available on the National Election Commission website.
The Democratic Party is set to finalize its nominee on April 27, with the People Power Party to do so on May 3. The presidential vote takes place June 3.
arin@heraldcorp.com
