Seongnam mayor — rising star in politics
Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung is gaining popularity rapidly among young voters for his harsh words against President Park Geun-hye and the conglomerates, emerging as a serious contender for Cheong Wa Dae.
The outspoken mayor has struck a chord among anti-Park protesters by consistently demanding Park’s impeachment in street speeches since the corruption scandal involving Park erupted in late October. He has also blasted the political establishment tied to the chaebol, or family-controlled conglomerates.
According to a survey by Real Meter last week, the 51-year-old mayor was ranked third among presidential contenders with 11.6 percent support, following Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) former head Moon Jae-in at 21.2 percent and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with 17.4 percent. Former People’s Party co-leader Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo had 11.4 percent to sit in fourth place.
Up 1.6 percentage points from a week earlier, Lee took over the third spot previously occupied by Ahn who dropped 0.6 percentage points. The survey was conducted with 1,519 Koreans, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
The mayor, who was born in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, as the fifth of seven children, studied law at Chung-Ang University and passed the bar exam in 1986. After working as a human rights lawyer, Lee became Seongnam’s mayor in 2010 and was reelected in 2014.
Lee, a member of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), has appealed to many hardliners in the opposition bloc with his hawkish stance and forthright verbal attacks against the President and the ruling Saeuri Party.
Lee started to gain attention after the Choi scandal broke out in the country in October. He was the first politician to demand Park’s resignation and took part in a candlelight vigil on Oct. 29. He claimed Park should be impeached and held accountable for the national crisis while Moon and DPK leaders were showing a more cautious approach.