Chairman Lee Nak-yon of the ruling Democratic Party
By Polisher-Chairman Lee Kyung-sik of The Korea Post media
Chairman Lee Nak-yon of the ruling Democratic Party won the top place with a 24% support in a nationally conducted opinion survey on the Presidential hopefuls in Korea to succeed President Moon Jae-in a little over a year later.
This was published after a joint opinion survey recently conducted by four major opinion survey organizations in Korea, namely Embrain Public, Kstat Research, Korea Research, and Hankuk Research. The follower-up winner was Governor Lee Jae-myung of the Gyeonggi Province with a 20% support. The third place went to incumbent Prosecutor General Yoon Suk-yeol with an 8% support followed by Chairman Ahn Chul-soo of the People’s Party, Independent National Assemblyman Hong Joon-pyo and former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who all won a 3% support. A total of 1,003 men and women above the age of 18 were consulted in all parts of South Korea.
Lee had been somewhat lagging behind his major contestant, Governor Lee Jae-myung, but has recently recovered his popularity since he became the head of the ruling Democratic Party.
Lee Nak-yon has come all out in his effort to help control the spread of COVID-19 saying, “Number 1 priority now is how to control the spread of COVID-19 epidemic!”
In his first public appearance after two weeks in self-isolation due to suspected contract of COVID-19, Lee Nak-yon came out clean and free from it, and said, “I'm returning to the battlefield after being released from a field hospital. We must win this war against COVID-19."
According to news from KBS Broadcasting Station in Seoul, Lee Nak-yok recently pledged to discuss policies for improving people's livelihood at a meeting with the representatives from the Presidential Mansion of Cheong Wa Dae, the ruling party, and the government.
Lee Nak-yon is very strongly opposed to the rally on October 3 on the occasion of the National Foundation Day.
He recalled, “The mass rally (which was organized by opposition-oriented conservative politicians and religious leaders) gave rise to a dreadful number increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Seoul and I say that this must not be repeated on the occasion of the upcoming National Foundation Day on October 3!” He sternly warned, “It is act of endangering the lives of the Korean people and it cannot be condoned with for any reason!” Then he said, “Furthermore, it would be against the law because such rallies on that day are already banned by the law.”
Lee said, “The Republic of Korea I am dreaming to build is a ‘Top-class Country in the World Where Everyone Lives Well’ and it is a country where everyone is happy, peace prevails, and the country contributes to the promotion of the well-being of all the peoples of the world.”
Lee then said, “Rights of women in Korea have room for improvement and I recommend a stern punishment of sex offenses and I offer my sincere apology to the victims of sex offenses perpetrated by the members of our party.”
This is largely understood to mean an apology for the victims of such offenses, including the Sex Offense Case of the late former Mayor Park Won-soon of the Seoul City.
At this time, it might be a good idea to learn a bit more about one of the strongest contenders for the Presidency in 2022.
Here are personal details of Lee Nak-yon based on Wikipedia:
Lee Nak-yon (also spelled Lee Nak-yeon)
Born 20 December 1951
41st Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea.
Lee is also the longest-serving prime minister of South Korea since the Constitution of South Korea was last revised in 1987.
He previously served as the governor of Jeollanam-do (South Jeolla) province, a stronghold of the Democratic Party. Before serving as governor, he worked as a journalist for the Dong-a Ilbo and served as a member of the National Assembly for four terms.
Lee was chosen for the position of Prime Minister by President Moon Jae-in in order to appease other factions within the Democratic Party. During his tenure as Prime Minister, Lee became well-known for his forceful exchanges with opposition party leaders and adeptness at communicating with citizens.
Prior to and following his victory in the crucial Jongno district in the 2020 legislative election against conservative Hwang Kyo-ahn, another probable presidential candidate, he has been said to be a favorite in the 2022 South Korean presidential election.
Early life and education:
Lee was born in Yeonggwang County in South Jeolla Province. After graduating from Seoul National University with a degree in law, he worked as a journalist for the daily Dong-a Ilbo newspaper until 2000.
He entered politics in 2000 "based on his ties with former President Kim Dae-jung he formed while covering politics." Following his departure from the Dong-a Ilbo he was elected as a member of the National Assembly in 2000 and served for four terms.
He also served as a spokesman for former President Roh Moo-hyun when he was the President-elect in 2002. Roh chose his draft speech for Roh's Presidential inauguration among multiple drafts and delivered the speech without changing a word Lee wrote.
He left office in the middle of his fourth term in 2014 to successfully run for governor of South Jeolla Province.
On May 10, 2017, Lee was nominated by President Moon Jae-in to be the next Prime Minister of South Korea, succeeding Hwang Kyo-ahn.
He left office as governor of the South Jeolla Province on the same day. He is seen as having close ties with key Japanese politicians, having served many years as a senior officer in the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians' Union. Lee speaks fluent Japanese.
On June 25, Prime Minister Lee urged North Korea to release their prisoners. On July 27, Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, who is known to be knowledgeable about Japan, criticized the accord regarding ‘comfort women,’On August 16, Lee reacted negatively to calls for South Korea to possess nuclear weapons, saying the move would undermine Seoul's calls for North Korea to denuclearize, trigger a nuclear arms race and put the country under international sanctions.
Reflecting such calls, the main opposition Liberty Korea Party adopted a demand for the redeployment of United States tactical nuclear arms as its official party line during a general meeting of its lawmakers.
On November 29, Lee raised concerns that cryptocurrencies were corrupting the youth of South Korea, remarking “There are cases in which young Koreans including students are jumping in to make quick money and virtual currencies are used in illegal activities like drug dealing or multi-level marketing for frauds.”
In 2020 election, Lee stood for Jongno constituency and defeated the UFP President Hwang Kyo-ahn. With the party leader Lee Hae-chan hospitalized, Lee traveled across the nation to support his party candidates and was regarded as the de facto commander of his party's campaign in the election.
2020 Democratic Party of Korea leadership election
In July 2020 Lee announced his campaign for the leader of his party, Democratic Party, highlighting his experiences dealing with "crises" that are much needed in transitioning into post-COVID 19 era. If elected, Lee is likely to serve as party leader for 7 months--less than a half of its fixed tenure--following the party rule that mandates party's Presidential candidate to resign from party leadership.
In this regard, Lee stressed his passion for his calling to be the party leader that he will work like a "flame" during these periods. In August 2020 he is elected as the party leader earning more than half of the votes in every category --party delegates, its members, non-voting members, and public opinion polls.
Lee is married and has a son. Lee Nak-yon's family seat is the Jeonju Yi clan. He is also the 22nd-generation descendant of Grand Prince Wanpung who was the elder half-brother of King Taejo of the Joseon Dynasty, the founder of Joseon Kingdom. He is a member of the South Korean Presbyterian Church.