South Korea's Lee wins ruling party primary in presidential race overshadowed by scandal

Record ID: 1640920

  • Title: South Korea's Lee wins ruling party primary in presidential race overshadowed by scandal
  • Date: 10th October 2021
  • Summary: LEE'S PORTRAIT / LEE MAKING HIS ACCEPTANCE SPEECH ON STAGE
  • Embargoed: 24th October 2021 13:04
  • Keywords: Lee Jae-myung March South Korea election politics presidential candidate ruling party
  • Location: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
  • City: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
  • Country: South Korea
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
  • Reuters ID: LVA004EYKQEKN
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Lee Jae-myung became the presidential candidate for South Korea's ruling party on Sunday (October 10), hoping to overcome a property scandal and gather national support while conservative opponents trade barbs over anal acupuncture and fortune-tellers.
    Lee, governor of Gyeonggi province and a party outsider often critical of incumbent President Moon Jae-in sealed his victory in the primary to represent the Democratic Party in the March 9 presidential election. Moon cannot stand for re-election under Korean law.
    The leading contender among a fractured field from the main conservative People Power Party, Yoon Seok-youl, has been caught up in scandals of his own - including murky ties to an anal acupuncturist - and criticism he relies on fortune-tellers.
    Lee secured 50.29% of the votes in an 11-round primary that ended on Sunday. His closest rival and initially the establishment favourite, former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, finished with 39.14%.
    His outsider image was once seen as a liability in the face of establishment competitors with closer ties to the outgoing Moon, but Lee rose to prominence with an aggressive pandemic response and a populist economic agenda.
    Dogged by a scandal involving a residential development plan when he was mayor of Seongnam in 2015, Lee used his acceptance speech to pledge progress on policy issues, including a push for universal basic income and more affordable housing amid skyrocketing property prices.
    (Production: Daewoung Kim, Heejung Jung)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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