SEOUL -- South Korea's ruling Democratic Party selected on Sunday Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung, who is known for his hard-line stance toward Japan, as the party's official candidate for next year's presidential election.
In the election to decide the successor to President Moon Jae-in, the 56-year-old Lee is expected to effectively battle one-on-one against the candidate to be chosen by the largest conservative opposition party in November.
In a speech after he became the official candidate for the left-leaning Democratic Party, Lee expressed his intention to "outpace Japan, catch up with advanced nations and create a South Korea that can lead the world."
In the 11 primaries that took place around the nation, including one in Seoul on Sunday, Lee won 50.29% of the votes to earn the nomination without a runoff. Lee Nak-yon, a 68-year-old former prime minister, took 39.14% and finished second. His camp has expressed its intention to object to the counting method.
Lee Jae-myung is a former lawyer and has served as the mayor of Seongnam, a satellite city of Seoul, before assuming his current post in 2018. He has never been elected to the national assembly.
The governor became especially popular after implementing such measures amid the pandemic as providing financial support for all residents, and conducting thorough testing.
Lee has also been known for his hard-line statements against Japan over the issues of former requisitioned workers from the Korean Peninsula and so-called comfort women.
There have been reports of allegations related to a real estate development project while he was the Seongnam mayor, provoking concerns that the scandal may affect the presidential election.
Lee himself has flatly denied the allegations, saying it is "fake news created by the opposition parties and conservative media." However, this and the confrontation over vote-counting in the primary could cause lingering tension within the ruling party.
Yoon Seok-youl, who resigned as top prosecutor after a political clash with Moon, is among those who have declared their candidacy in the primaries for the largest opposition party, the conservative People Power Party.
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