The Uri PartyUnited New Democratic Party will announce its candidate later today. Early indications are the Chung Dong-young is going to win.
Assuming that Chung does win, he will have his work cut out for him tying to get Rhee In-jae (yes, that Rhee In-jae) and Moon Kook-hyun to drop out and back his bid. The UNDP’s turnout in the last round of voting (reported to be only about 14%) will not help, especially if Chung cannot end up with over 50% of the final tally.
Kwon Young-ghil of the Democratic Labor Party is not going to drop out in any case.
Unless there is more to the BBK scandal than meets the eye (or it turns into another Kim Dae-up situation), this race looks to be over.
UPDATE: The Chosun reports that Chung has swept almost every primary today and will most likely be the UNDP nominee.
Chung is from the Jeolla/Gwangju area and got over 70% of the votes there. His nomination will certainly hurt Rhee In-jae since Honam is the only place where the Democratic party is still strong. I expect Rhee to endorse either Chung or Moon by the middle of November.
This Yonhap piece goes more into difficulties the left will have in unifying this year. Stangely, it did not mention, whom I expect to get around 8% of the vote on December 19.
Sphere: Related Content
11 Comments
I believe that Jang Sung Min is also forming (yet another) liberal party.
I suspect this will not be as clean a leftist race as they would have hoped.
Good thing: pro-Roh leftists are now virtually powerless, now that Lee Hae-Chan (literally the ugliest man on the face of this planet) has lost the primaries.
Bad thing: Chung DY is even bigger an asshole than Roh. At least Roh came to senses when it came to *really* important subjects such as KOR-US FTA.
But, despite even this, I doubt Lee MB is a shoo-in just yet. Considering constant gaffes he has made throughout the campaign (some vulgar, some sexist, some just plain dumb) and the leftists’ expertise in mudslinging (a la Kim Dae Up who brought down Lee Hoe-Chang in 2002) I wouldn’t be surprised if his candidacy just collapses upon itself.
Last I saw, Chung also supports the FTA, although he seems to have hedged his bet a little by saying it should be dealt with after the election.
I do agree that Lee can still lose this thing but voters are so ready to change course that it would take more than some graffes to stop him.
Re: Lee Hae-Chan the “ugliest man on the face of the planet”. I call bullshit! First of all, I am almost 70% certain Lee Hae-Chan is not a man, but a reptile, which means he cannot be qualified in the ugliest man sweepstakes.
But also, there is the issue of Moon Hee-Sang. How can Lee Hae-Chan be the ugliest man (or reptile) on the face of the planet with Moon around?
they’ve done the worst they could have possibly done.
Minju comes up with Lee In Jae. That guarantees some anti-votes, as Konglish goes, in southeast Korea. What did this guy have, like 1% national support?
Chung Dong Yong, means going lefter than the left now. Wow, good job. A man who has been getting less than 2% support nationally manages to be the top dog in the race. A fixed race, at that.
Bank it. Lee Myung Bak, Next Republic of Korea President.
The collective opposition has too many individual pipe dreams to realistically pose a 1:1 challenge. It’s over.
Moon Hee-sang wins the Ugliest Korean Government Reptile award, hands down.
wjk, I remember that 2% and was wondering the same thing. I hope you’re right.
ps: If they elect on looks, we’re in trouble.
I’m with Brendon and Sonagi, though sans the slime on reptiles.
Actually, I have seen hippopatami with smaller heads than Moon Hee-sang’s, but let’s not be mean…
I don’t know why y’all are so down on Moon Hee-sang. Whenever I think of back-room politics, I can’t help but think of Moon sucking a stogie and padding down his well-greased hair.
This morning’s paper has the two-man raced billed as “Economy vs Peace.” That really makes me angry, SK jucheists are for surrender not peace.
It is over.
No one I talk to takes Chung “ding-dong” seriously. When even cab drivers diss’ you, then you have no street value.