Lee Cheol-woo, the governor of North Gyeongsang Province, announced on the 11th at the Gyeongbuk Provincial Office that he intends to run for a third term in the upcoming local elections next year.
On the 19th, Governor Lee, a member of the People Power Party, responded to internal party calls for the party to apologize regarding former President Yoon Seok-youl’s emergency martial law on December 3, stating, “Those are stories from people who lose every election,” and added, “Let’s rally tightly around Representative Jang Dong-hyuk.”
In an interview with SBS Radio’s “Kim Tae-hyun’s Political Show” that morning, Governor Lee explained, “Elections are just like magnets; if there’s a strong magnet, (voters) all flock to it. There is no middle ground because the middle ground doesn’t exist if both sides seem weak.”
He further commented, “Even when we unite tightly, it’s still a struggle, and we have no luxury to discuss issues like ‘pulling the middle ground,’ impeachment, or martial law among ourselves.”
Governor Lee also remarked, “Martial law was judged by the people with the presidential election where the People Power Party lost.” He continued, “Apologies are for winners, so why should someone on the verge of defeat apologize?” urging his party to rally around Representative Jang Dong-hyuk.
He warned about internal divisions, saying, “If our party keeps creating noise and factions internally, we will fail,” and advised Jang, “Cut off those who keep making empty nonsense.” When asked whether he was suggesting cutting ties with former representatives like Han Dong-hoon and other so-called pro-Yoon members, Lee responded, “Whether they’re pro-Yoon or pro-someone else, we can’t have people who keep deflating morale.”
Discussing the issue of former President Yoon Seok-youl, Governor Lee mentioned, “If there’s something we can help with while he is on trial, we should do so; we can’t just sever ties like slicing radish with a knife.” However, he also noted, “Since he is not a party member, why do we need to dictate to someone who’s not within our party?”
Meanwhile, Governor Lee, diagnosed with blood cancer in May, expressed his intention to run for a third term on the 11th of this month. He claimed, “Remarkably, the cancer cells have almost disappeared in four months,” and assured, “There’s no particular health issue as I undergo immunotherapy for prevention with a monthly injection.”
He emphasized his recovered health, saying, “It would be discourteous to the residents and citizens if I declared my candidacy without recovering, but my doctor recognized my recovery and even called it a ‘miracle.'” Governor Lee concluded, “With this miracle, I won’t just retire to the mountains; there is still so much work left to do. Hence, I will run once more.”