Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung declares presidential bid

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung disclosed a 14-minute video clip declaring his presidential bid through social media channels including YouTube at 7:30 a.m., Thursday. Lee held a ceremony to declare his first bid with his mother on his side ahead of the 2017 presidential election at a factory where he had worked, but he shelved a large scale-event to announce his candidacy involving his supporters and others this time.

In the video clip, Lee is seen reading the declaration of his presidential bid against the backdrop of streaming black and color images from his past. The footages included his memos and journal pages from the time when he was a factory worker, college student, and trainee at the state Judicial Research and Training Institute.

Having agonized over how to hold a unique ceremony for declaring his presidential bid amid the pandemic, Lee chose to proclaim his candidacy through a video. His campaign team reportedly reedited the video clip repeatedly to perfect it until the last moment on Wednesday. Lee is the only presidential hopeful who has declared candidacy only through a video. 　

Lee has used social media and set the time for his declaration early in the morning, part of his efforts to cater to his supporters’ expectations. “We chose morning commute hours for salaried people to help ensure that Lee’s declaration video can be watched via smartphones and other gadgets by as many people as possible,” said an official from Lee’s camp. 　

This contrasts with former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol who declared his bid at 1 p.m. by taking into consideration the lifestyle of middle aged and older people. “The fact Lee shelved an official ceremony for declaration of his candidacy could suggest Lee’s intention that he will differentiate himself from Yoon, who declared his bid amid large crowds two days ago,” a source in the ruling Democratic Party said.


Sung-Hwi Kang yolo@donga.com