Lee Jin-sook, the People Power Party (PPP) candidate in the parliamentary by-election for Dalseong in Daegu, has moved close to securing victory. Having clashed with the Lee Jae-myung administration during her tenure as chair of the Korea Communications Commission under the Yoon Suk-yeol government, she is widely expected to lead the opposition's charge against the ruling bloc upon entering the National Assembly.
According to the National Election Commission's vote count released Tuesday, Lee was leading with 64.15 percent of the vote against Democratic Party candidate Park Hyung-ryong's 35.84 percent, with 64.65 percent of ballots counted as of 1 a.m.
Dalseong, a constituency vacated after Choo Kyung-ho ran as the PPP's candidate for Daegu mayor, is regarded as a traditional conservative stronghold. While a comfortable PPP victory was anticipated early in the race, some mid-campaign polls showed a tightening contest. As ballot counting progressed, however, Lee widened the gap and maintained her lead.
A former journalist, Lee served as chair of the Korea Communications Commission under the Yoon administration. She continued to follow a pro-Yoon political path even after the former president's impeachment, drawing attention from conservative circles.
Following the inauguration of President Lee Jae-myung, she attended Cabinet meetings while maintaining tense relations with the presidential office, but was excluded from Cabinet attendance after about a month amid controversy over alleged violations of public officials' political neutrality obligations. She subsequently lost her position when the Korea Communications Commission was abolished through a revision of the Government Organization Act, and was arrested three days after her dismissal in October last year on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act and the State Public Officials Act.
A scene in which she shouted "Did Lee Jae-myung order this? Did Jung Cheong-rae order this?" while handcuffed in front of a police station became widely discussed at the time, cementing her image as a hardline fighter among conservative supporters.
Lee had also led in opinion polls during the PPP's primary for the Daegu mayoral candidacy but was cut from the nomination process, sparking conflict with the party leadership. After demanding a review of the nomination outcome amid the ensuing controversy, she shifted course to run in the Dalseong by-election and received the PPP's single-candidate nomination for the race.
Political observers say that if Lee succeeds in entering the National Assembly, she is likely to emerge as a central figure spearheading the PPP's offensive against the Lee Jae-myung administration and the Democratic Party.
