New Wave Presidential Candidate Kim Dong-yeon (left) and Democratic Party Presidential Candidate Lee Jae-myung (left) and the Democratic Party of Korea (Democratic Party) candidate Lee Jae-myung are talking after signing the “Joint Declaration for Politics Change” agreement at a cafe in Mapo-gu, Seoul on the 1st. Parliamentary photojournalists
New Wave presidential candidate Kim Dong-yeon, who served as the first deputy prime minister of the Moon Jae-in government, resigned on the 2nd and announced his support for the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung. A week before the presidential election, Lee, who is in a close battle with Yoon Seok-yeol, the People’s Power presidential candidate, is hoping that it will strengthen his image as economic president and lead to securing middle-class votes.
Candidate Kim held a press conference at his camp in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul on the same day, and said, “I am resigning from the presidential candidacy today.” The unification was a scheduled procedure as the two candidates had agreed to a “joint declaration for political change” that included political reform legislation and constitutional amendments to the presidential system at the meeting the previous day.
Candidate Kim presented his political reform proposal to Candidate Yoon as well, but said that candidate Lee showed more sincerity, explaining why he supported it. Candidate Kim said, “Candidate Lee has consistently expressed his will to break the vested interests and the bipartisan structure, and I can feel the sincerity.” According to Candidate Kim, Lee expressed his will to promote political reform through three meetings, including a direct visit to Kim’s camp. Candidate Kim emphasized, “(Lee) accepted the agreement we proposed without changing a single word.” Candidate Kim will join Lee’s campaign in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, scheduled for the 3rd, and start supporting Lee in earnest.
Candidate Lee expressed his gratitude to Candidate Kim, saying, “I am deeply grateful for the great decision.” Candidate Lee said in a social networking service (SNS) that day, “I will weave Kim’s many good promises with my good ones.” .
The unification of the two candidates is interpreted as a result of matching each other’s interests. In the ultra-thin confrontation with Candidate Yoon, Lee also desperately needs to absorb Kim’s approval rating, which is around 1%. Woo Sang-ho, head of the Democratic Party Election Response Committee, met with reporters at the Yeouido office on the same day and said, “(Candidate Kim) has meaning in the value it symbolizes. It can give the middle class the feeling of going to the middle class.”
There is also a view that gives meaning to the fact that candidate Lee created a trend of ‘anti-Yun Seok-yeol solidarity’ with the theory of political change put forward against the theory of regime judgment by Candidate Yoon. At a press conference, Candidate Kim said, “Last week, I met Dr. Jong-in Kim (former Chairman of the General Election Task Force for the People’s Power) twice. He said that if he was given an important role in the promotion organization, he would not hesitate.”
Through unification with Candidate Lee, Candidate Kim achieved the result of pushing for political reform, which was the reason for his entry into politics. Candidate Kim said, “I am proud to have made it the biggest discourse in the presidential election by defining the breaking of vested interests with the spirit of the era of the 20th presidential election, which was stained with muddy battles, and putting political change as the top priority.” said Candidate Kim’s side believes that it will be difficult for the Democratic Party to turn away from the promise of political reform in the future, given the necessity of national unity following the ultra-thin presidential election and the schedule of local elections immediately after the election.