Why did conservative lawyer drop out of Seoul mayoral race?

Lee Seok-yeon, a lawyer who was considered a conservative contender in the October 26 by-election for Seoul mayor, said Wednesday that he is thinking of pulling out of the race.

He did not show up at an eight-member meeting of representatives of conservative civic groups and cut off all contact, and reportedly plans to announce his withdrawal from the race Thursday.

Speculation has grown over why he plans to drop his bid just a week before candidacy registration without even seeking to unify the candidate of the conservative camp.

Lee was apparently affected the most by his lackluster approval rating shown in a Tuesday opinion poll by The Dong-A Ilbo. After hearing of it, he told Dong-A, "When I had a low approval rating in an opinion poll conducted a day after I announced my bid, I promised to make a final decision on my candidacy after a meaningful lapse of time."

Lee said he took the result of the latest Dong-A survey seriously due to the timing and credibility.

His decision to drop out is based on the judgment that his approval rating will likely not rise further with just about a week left before the deadline for unifying the right-wing candidate with a contender from the ruling Grand National Party.

His strong rejection of a "show" for a unified candidate was also a probable reason for his withdrawal. "Appearing on TV debates would help promote me but will also look like a show for unifying candidacy," he said. "I don`t believe in it."

Lee might have also been offended by the conservative camp`s attempt to use him for candidacy unification.

Lee reportedly had conflicts with conservative groups who promoted him as a mayoral candidate. While Lee calls himself a "moderate constitutionalist," the eight-member meeting has a few hardline conservatives.

Reportedly, he faced strong protest from the eight-member meeting after saying late last week that free school lunches can be expanded by reducing the amount of wasted budget. In particular, he is known to have been greatly disappointed when faced with criticism for being a "fake conservative" after meeting with a pastor who often criticizes conservatives.

"Under the Constitution, our country aims to become a welfare country," Lee said. "I cannot change my belief."

He is also said to have faced difficulties raising funds for his campaign. A source close to Lee said, "The economic burden was too heavy. Lawyer Park Won-soon (a progressive candidate for Seoul mayor) has a lot of experience in fundraising. But Lee has never done such a thing."

While the candidacy registration deposit of 10 million won (8,554 U.S. dollars) was raised by donations from civic groups supporting Lee, he is said to have failed to raise 380 million won (325,064 dollars) that he pledged to spend for his campaign. The amount is one tenth of the legal limit on campaign expenses.

Another source close to Lee said he considered ways to raise money investment fund-style, adding, "It didn`t work out well."

ditto@donga.com