LEE’S FIRST ACTIVITIES AMID CONTROVERSY

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Lee Jae-myung has visited the National Cemetery in Daejeon for his first official schedule after being selected as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate. However, serious repercussions of the presidential primary are being observed inside the ruling party. The runner-up Lee Nak-yon’s camp appealed the result by formally taking issue with invalid votes and demanding a runoff. But the party’s leadership rejected the request and confirmed Lee jae-myung as its presidential candidate. It seems the internal dispute regarding the primary result will unlikely subside in a near future.

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For his first official schedule after being elected as the ruling party’s presidential candidate, Lee Jae-myung visited the Daejeon National Cemetery. In the visitors’ book, he wrote“A fair society." Lee said his visit to the cemetery signifies his pursuit of promoting national security and balanced regional development.

[Soundbite] Lee Jae-myung(DP Pres. Candidate) : "This cemetery is located in the Chungcheong region which stands for fairness and equity, the two crucial tasks for the nation."

Lee was accompanied by some members of the DP's leadership. The move was viewed as an indication that the party leadership supports Lee Jae-myung, despite runner-up Lee Nak-yon's objection to the result of the primary. DP Chairman Song Young-gil released a message dismissing Lee Nak-yon's complaint.

[Soundbite] Song Young-gil(DP Chairman) : "The party’s election committee confirmed and announced Lee Jae-myung as the presidential candidate on Sunday. I myself presented a letter of recommendation."

However, Lee Nak-yon's camp appealed the primary result and submitted a statement of protest to the party. It insisted that Lee Jae-myung won a majority of the votes, as ballots cast for two candidates who pulled out of the primary were counted as invalid. It claims that the party misinterpreted the party’s rules.

[Soundbite] Park Kwang-on(Lee Nak-yon’s camp) : "Who says that we are not accepting the primary result. That is not true. We will draw a conclusion between two options correct any errors or accept the result."

In response to this controversy, former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, one of the two resigned candidates, said that principles must be respected. Rep. Kim Du-kwan, who also pulled out, said the party’s presidential hopefuls had once agreed to count votes for resigned candidates as void. Lee Jae-myung is considering registering as a preliminary candidate quickly to end the controversy. As the party leadership also wants Lee’s early candidate registration, he will likely step down as Gyeonggi-do Province governor in the coming days.