Lee Jae-myung, the representative of the Democratic Party, will step down from his position on the 9th. This is the first step toward his candidacy for an early presidential election. It is expected that the official declaration of his candidacy will not extend beyond this week.
A party official noted on the 8th, "Representative Lee plans to preside over the last Supreme Council meeting tomorrow morning before stepping down from his position as party leader." The government has announced June 3rd as the presidential election date, indicating that preparations for the election are underway.
Representative Lee had not directly mentioned his candidacy until now. However, since the Constitutional Court ruled on the 4th that former President Yoon Suk-yeol should be impeached, he has decided to formalize his candidacy.
It is reported that Representative Lee will finalize the selection of his primary campaign camp immediately after stepping down from his party leader position. The director of the campaign and the general head will be held by lawmakers Yoon Ho-jung and Kang Hoon-sik. Lawmakers Han Byeong-do and Park Soo-hyun, who are from the Moon Jae-in administration, are also expected to join. Right after resigning, he is expected to focus on refining the message to be included in his announcement of candidacy.
A party official mentioned, "Due to the short preparation period for the presidential election caused by the early election, we must complete all foundational tasks including the declaration of candidacy and the announcement of camp appointments by this week at the latest," adding, "We are also considering multiple locations for the announcement."