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| Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, the leading presidential contender of the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea, speaks during an Aug. 5 interview with the Hankook Ilbo, the sister paper of The Korea Times. Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han |
This article is the first in a series on the major presidential contenders' leadership styles, campaign promises, strengths and weaknesses, as well as career histories ― ED.
By Nam Hyun-woo
Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung has built his reputation as a 'bulldozing public administrator' and outspoken politician who does not fear conflict with his opponents, or even his colleagues within the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), while pursuing projects that he endorses.
This aspect of his character has earned him the reputation of a capable politician who can bring actual results to the people, which is a critical merit boosting the 56-year-old's lead in the race to choose the party's single presidential candidate.
Before beginning his career as a politician, Lee was a human rights lawyer for major civil society organizations here, such as the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and Lawyers for a Democratic Society.
He started his political career by getting elected mayor of Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, in 2010, after two unsuccessful campaigns for the post in 2006 and for a parliamentary seat representing the city in 2008.
Lee earned his political reputation during his tenure as Seongnam's mayor. Through strict belt-tightening, he improved the city's financial situation and used the money saved to expand social welfare programs for vulnerable residents.
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| Then-Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung, left, looks down in the foreground while then-former Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Moon Jae-in speaks during a TV debate for the DPK primary in Seoul, in this March 21, 2017, photo. After beating Lee in the primary, Moon won the presidential election to become the 19th president of Korea. Joint Press Corps |
Buoyed by favorable responses in his constituency, he served another four-year term as Seongnam's mayor until 2018, although he also ran in the DPK's presidential primary in 2017, which ended in then-former DPK Chairman Moon Jae-in's victory. During his campaign, Lee highlighted his expertise in saving costs while providing welfare programs, such as offering a universal basic income for young people, free school uniforms and free postnatal care. These innovative programs later became the foundation of Lee's key political principle of a universal basic income for all.
In 2018, Lee was elected governor of Gyeonggi Province, though he faced a criminal trial over allegations that he had violated the Election Law during his campaign. After a year-long legal battle, he was found not guilty by the Supreme Court which overturned a high court ruling that could have nullified his governorship.
He announced his bid to run for the presidency again July 1, and has been a leader among DPK contenders in a series of polls since then.
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| Then-Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung, left, shakes hands with the head of the shop owners at Moran Traditional Market in the city, at his office in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, after signing an agreement to shut down dog slaughtering facilities at the market, in this Dec. 13, 2016, file photo. Courtesy of Seongnam City |
A 'bulldozer public administrator'
One of many cases that shows Lee's governing style is a 2016 decision to shut down dog slaughtering facilities in the Moran Traditional Market in Seongnam.
The dog slaughtering facilities had long been a subject of heated debate, as opinions clashed over their morality, the rights of animals, and their environmental impact, as well as over the survival of farms breeding dogs for meat, making the issue a long-fought problem for the city government.
In 2016, Lee, who is an animal rights advocate, pushed ahead with the shutdown after signing an agreement with shop owners in the market that prohibited the display and slaughter of live dogs at the market. In doing so, the city also helped dog meat shop owners transition to engaging in other types of business, but did not offer any direct compensation for their closure.
In March of last year, when the nation's first COVID-19 wave took place, following an infection cluster among followers of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a Christian cult, Lee himself visited the residence of the organization's founder, Lee Man-hee in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, whom had been refusing to get a coronavirus test or submit correct information about who had attended the church's gatherings for contact tracing. The governor warned Lee of the potential legal and administrative actions that would be taken against him, an action that led to the cult leader's surrender.
This year, Lee was partially at odds with the central government and other DPK members over his plan to provide COVID-19 disaster relief funds to all residents of Gyeonggi Province. As Lee's plan was broader than that of the central government, which provides aid only to those in the lower 88-percent income bracket, the Gyeonggi Province Assembly has been divided over whether to approve his plan, and it is still under review.
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| Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung answers questions after visiting the residence of Lee Man-hee, the founder of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, in Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province, on March 2, 2020, after the cult leader refused to get a COVID-19 test and provide the correct information about the church's gatherings. Shincheonji's Lee was found guilty of misleading the health authorities concerning the size and locations of his church's gatherings, which were blamed for a major infection cluster and spike in coronavirus cases in the country last year. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
Lee himself is also proud of his drive to carry out government projects that he commits to. During a Sept. 5 DPK primary debate, Lee said, "I have kept an average of 95 percent of my campaign promises while serving the public," adding, "I only promised what I could fulfill and I kept all of my promises."
"Even if I might have to experience a political loss, I believe in the collective intelligence of the public, and push forward on the right things in order to bring about results. That is my style," Lee said.
Straight-talking politician
As seen in his work as mayor and governor, Lee is straightforward. The SNS-savvy politician's popularity has been partly attributed to his straight-talking style. Although at the same time this has triggered concerns about potential slips of the tongue if he becomes president, as a head of state must be extremely careful in choosing his words.
While sharing personal anecdotes in 2012, Lee tweeted that he once wanted to become a teacher because he was "beaten so much by the teacher" during his childhood that he had "feelings of envy" and wanted to act out becoming a teacher to scold children himself. This tweet became the target of criticism by rival presidential hopefuls in this year's primary.
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| Then-Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung shouts during a rally near Gwanghwamun, Seoul, Dec. 3, 2016, calling on former President Park Geun-hye to step down over a massive corruption scandal. Yonhap |
In 2020, Lee exchanged verbal barbs with former conservative lawmaker Kim Moo-sung, who criticized President Moon's income-led economic growth policy as "a monster that should not be born." Refuting Kim's claim, Lee said that "the real monsters are people like you, who manipulate state affairs," referring to former President Park Geun-hye's corruption scandal. Kim was the chairman of the then-ruling conservative Saenuri Party (a precursor to the now main opposition People Power Party) during the Park administration.
More recently, Lee stirred controversy by asking, "Shall I pull down my pants?" during a TV debate when he was asked to explain actress Kim Bu-seon's claims that he was continuing to lie about an extramarital affair he had with her and that she knew some specific blemishes on his body.
Pundits say that Lee's direct rhetoric could prevent him from embracing various factions within the DPK, whose majority consists of those loyal to Moon.
Lee is widely viewed as being among the anti-Moon faction in the party, due to his fierce battle with the President during the 2017 primary. Due to this image, Lee's support among party members has been lower than his overall support rate.
Initially, this image was mentioned as one of Lee's main weaknesses. However, he took more than half of the votes in party primary elections held in two key regions earlier this month, implying that the majority of the DPK is now counting on him to lead the party in the greater cause of remaining in power.
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| Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, center, watches the opening ceremony for a forum at the provincial government office in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Sept. 8. Courtesy of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office |
Another perceived weakness of Lee is that he has never served as a lawmaker. Despite having the rich administrative experience of running both Seongnam city and Gyeonggi Province, in which 13.48 million people live, he has no experience of engaging in the political dynamics of the National Assembly, which some politicians claim is a requirement to become president.
Expanding basic income, linking it to carbon, land taxes
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| Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung announces his presidential campaign promises concerning Gangwon Province's development during a press conference at the Wonju City Office, Gangwon Province, Sept. 6. Yonhap |
As president, Lee seeks economic growth and fair distribution through the universal basic income. In order to realize this promise, Lee wants to introduce basic income schemes for young people, farmers and fishermen first, and then expand it to a universal income, with a plan to gradually increase the amount that the government pays.
As part of this plan, Lee seeks to link the income to a carbon tax. By equally distributing the revenue collected from a carbon tax to all people, the majority will benefit from the plan, while the government can more powerfully entice companies to cut their emissions.
Similarly, Lee promises to combine the land tax with the universal basic income. In his proposal, the government will distribute land tax revenue to all residents. Lee's camp assumes that at least 80 percent of Koreans will benefit from these plans.
He also pledged to provide at least 1 million "basic homes," which refer to public rental housing units offered at lower prices, as well as to strengthen the concept of public land ownership in order to battle Korea's rampant real estate speculation via private property ownership. Public land ownership means that land should be understood as for the public good, and therefore limiting or suspending some private property rights is needed to prioritize public purposes.
Adding to these, Lee promised to introduce "basic loans," which will allow all members of the public, regardless of their credit status, to take out loans of up to 10 million won ($8,570) at an interest rate of around 3 percent, to stop people from borrowing from loan sharks or other illegal or excessively profit-oriented private money lenders.
These pledges, however, have become the target of criticism from some of Lee's rivals, especially over their populist aspects and over the ways he plans to finance them.
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| Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung raises his arms after giving a speech during a party event at the CJB Convention Center in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, Sunday, when he won 54.54 percent of the vote in the party's presidential primary election for Sejong and North Chungcheong Province. Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun |
Pragmatism in North Korea policy
Lee stresses pragmatism regarding North Korea policies while maintaining a stance of engagement.
He proposes the conditional easing of sanctions against Pyongyang with a "snapback clause," which would re-impose all sanctions immediately if North Korea fails to comply with its denuclearization promises.
"It is difficult to succeed in reaching a so-called big deal," Lee said in an Aug. 22 press conference, referring to a grand bargain that sees North Korea give up its nuclear program all at once. "Pursuing agreements on denuclearization along with the implementation of the agreement at the same time would be the most realistic and pragmatic direction for the U.S. and North Korea."
During another press conference, Sept. 6, Lee said that he will seek to resume a tourism program to Mount Geumgang in North Korea, which have been halted since 2009.
"Starting with the tourism program, I will pursue the peaceful coexistence of the two Koreas through pragmatic North Korea policies that will benefit both South and North Korea," Lee said.
When asked on the difference between his and President Moon's North Korea policies, he said, "There's no need to intentionally differentiate mine from those of Moon."
