(Bloomberg) — The victory of South Korea’s main opposition party in a general election has made its leader a top contender for the presidency in 2027 if he can handle a fickle public and a step ahead of a legal battle that could land him in prison remains beforehand.
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Lee Jae-myung emerged from the election with such a strong majority that the progressive bloc led by his Democratic Party was able to dictate the course of legislation and pressure the conservative ruling People Power Party to make concessions if it wanted to achieve something .
A supporter of a universal basic income, Lee proposed during his election campaign to provide citizens with a total of 13 trillion won ($9.5 billion) in cash to stimulate the economy. His Democratic Party has sought to raise taxes on wealthy individuals and the chaebol conglomerates that dominate the corporate landscape.
It’s all quite a turnaround for a person who narrowly lost the 2022 presidential race and was then indicted on various bribery and dereliction of duty charges. That raised questions within his party about whether he was damaging its image, but victory in Wednesday’s election showed he can connect with voters.
“Lee managed to make the Democratic Party his party and consolidate his power while embracing moderates,” said Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University in South Korea.
Voter dissatisfaction and a desire to make a “verdict” on the government appear to have overshadowed Lee’s own legal troubles, Shin said.
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According to the National Election Commission, Lee’s Democratic Party bloc expanded its majority to 175 seats, a major victory that paves the way for the opposition leader to take charge and make another attempt at the presidency.
Lee, a former factory worker who later became a civil rights lawyer, has been active in politics as a member of the progressive camp for more than 15 years and became governor of Gyeonggi Province, around Seoul, in 2018. He has campaigned to make the country the first country in Asia to introduce an unconditional basic income.
He is also one of the country’s most polarizing political figures, with a fervent following on the left and a large group of opponents in the conservative camp. Lee has been marred by scandals in his personal life and an investigation into land speculation in Seongnam, a city where Lee served as mayor. He has denied any wrongdoing and described the legal proceedings against him as politically motivated.
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Lee survived a knife attack earlier this year that police said appeared to be politically motivated.
Lee appeared in court just two days after the election, his second appearance in a week, demonstrating the headwinds he will face as he seeks the presidency again.
As Lee entered the courtroom on Friday, he declined to answer reporters’ questions about the possibility of losing his legislative seat pending court rulings.
Also in the spotlight is Cho Kuk, who founded a new party a month before the election that won 12 seats – the third largest of all parties that took part in the general election this year.
Cho, a justice minister during the term of Yoon’s predecessor Moon Jae-in, had resigned from office in disgrace. He was charged and later convicted of academic fraud and unlawful interference with a government inspection. The case is now pending at the country’s highest court.
Cho may also be fighting for attention with Lee, and his party has enough votes in Parliament to make the difference in pushing legislation through Parliament. How Lee and Cho might work together is an open question, but the two came away with a new lease of life.
Park Won-ho, a political science professor at Seoul National University, said it may be “time to accept” that there are just as many people who think Lee and Cho should go to prison as there are There are people who support them as political opposition leaders.
“At least that’s what this week’s voting results tell us,” Park said.
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