Lee Jae-myung wins key primary vote

Seoul

Former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung won a major victory in the South Korean presidential primary held in the central region on Saturday. He secured 88.15% of the votes across South and North Chungcheong provinces, and in the cities of Daejeon and Sejong.

Lee defeated his rivals by a wide margin. Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon got only 7.54%, and former South Gyeongsang Governor Kim Kyung-soo received 4.31%.

This win strengthens Lee’s chances of becoming the Democratic Party's final candidate for the June 3 presidential election. Three more regional primaries will be held before the party officially selects its nominee on April 27.

After the results, Lee said he would work to fulfill the people’s hopes and build a better country. He announced his presidential bid last week and promised to focus on economic growth and national development.

This election was called after President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office in December for declaring martial law. Yoon became the second South Korean president to be removed from power, following Park Geun-hye in 2017.

Lee narrowly lost the last presidential election to Yoon in 2022. With Yoon now ousted, Lee is seen as a strong front-runner in a country facing deep political divides.