Ex-presidential candidate Lee declares bid for DP chairmanship

SEOUL, July 17 (Yonhap) -- Rep. Lee Jae-myung, a former presidential candidate of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), declared his bid for party chairmanship Sunday, promising to carry out sweeping reforms to make the DP a "winning" party.

"I will change the Democratic Party, politics and the world. The beginning of that is to make the DP a winning party," Lee said during a press conference at the National Assembly. "I will change everything except the DP's name until people say it is enough."

The DP plans to hold a national convention on Aug. 28 to elect a new leader. Whether Lee will run in the election has been a point of contention within the DP, with opponents saying Lee should not run to take responsibility for the party's defeat in March's presidential election and June's nationwide local elections.

Although Lee admitted his accountability in the party's election losses, he said the bid for chairmanship is aimed at taking "real responsibility" by transforming the party into a "new winning DP."

Lee said he will lead the DP to victory in the general elections set for 2024.

He also vowed to rebuild the DP into a pragmatic party focused on people's lives and stay away from faction politics to unite lawmakers and supporters. He promised never to discriminate against anti-Lee members when selecting the party's candidates for the general elections.

Lee won a parliamentary seat in a by-election in June, making a swift return to politics after his defeat in the closely contested presidential election in March.

ejkim@yna.co.kr
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