LEE’S REMARKS ON DISBANDMENT

[Anchor Lead]

Lee Nak-yon showed up at the disbandment of his campaign team after losing the Democratic Party presidential primary. He told his supporters to defend the value of the Democratic Party but didn’t hide his displeasure at the party leadership.

[Pkg]

Four days after losing the presidential primary, former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yon finally made a public appearance. He said that he is embarking on a journey without a destination for the first time in his life and poured out his feelings of disappointment at the disbandment ceremony of his campaign headquarters.

[Soundbite] Lee Nak-yon(Former Democratic Party Chair) : "Humiliating me, trampling on my character and creating lies as if we’re never going to see each other again is not only a cruel thing to do as a human being but also characteristics unfit for a politician."

The context was to ask his supporters not to attack each other as the priority going forward should be to unite. But his actual targets appeared to be the party leadership and other candidates in the primary round. He said that he has nothing more to add about conceding to the outcome of the primary race. Since the former DP leader didn’t hide his displeasure about the party leadership, it is not clear whether he would join the election committee. Current DP leader Song Young-gil, who had disparagingly compared Lee Nak-yon’s supporters to a group of vulgar, extreme self-identified conservatives, is apparently trying to dispel the hostility.

[Soundbite] Song Young-gil(Democratic Party Chair) : "I comforted Lee Nak-yon’s supporters and asked them to unite with the Democratic Party. I also suggested Lee Jae-myung to visit Lee Nak-yon."

Meanwhile, following his phone call to Lee Nak-yon, the Democratic Party presidential candidate said that he would acknowledge Representative Sul Hoon’s opinion. Representative Sul had said that the Gyeonggi-do governor should be arrested. These gestures are seen as Lee’s way of uniting the party. Lee Jae-myung met with President Moon Jae-in as the head of a local government at yesterday’s event about balanced regional development. They did not have a separate conversation but President Moon congratulated Lee as they walked over to a photo shoot, according to the Presidential Office. Lee Jae-myung attended the Democratic Party’s general assembly today to meet with lawmakers.