Lee Jae-myung’s Journey: From Humble Beginnings to Seongnam Mayor and His Clash with the Park Geun-hye Administration

Early Days as an Attorney

After graduating from elementary school in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, Lee Jae-myung and his family moved to Seongnam. As a poor young boy—one who would later acquire the disability he now bears—he overcame both depression and physical challenges. He ultimately graduated from the Law School of Chung-Ang University, passed the judicial examination in 1986, and entered the Judicial Research and Training Institute in 1987. It was there that he happened to attend a lecture by Attorney Roh Moo-hyun—a masterful orator whose words left a deep impression on him.

Lee once noted, “A steadfast life philosophy needs no script. Those lacking a genuine philosophy must rely on prepared words. A philosophy forged through real-life experiences, deep contemplation, and resilience—like a rock steadily worn by countless raindrops—is neither easily created nor quickly changed.” Observers often note that when politicians speak, the key indicator of authenticity is whether they need to read from a script—especially during impassioned speeches. A quick comparison between Lee’s speeches and those of others (for example, Kwon Sung-dong or even certain insurrectionary demagogues) makes the difference immediately clear. In Lee’s case, his ability to speak extemporaneously was evident during the early “door-stepping” days of the presidency and later before the Constitutional Court—long after others had resorted to reading from a script even after the lifting of martial law. Honestly, what’s wrong with their heads?

The Rise to Prominence

Lee Jae-myung first garnered nationwide attention during the 2004 Seongnam City Hospital establishment movement. Aiming to create a public healthcare center, he initiated a residents’ ordinance with a record-breaking 18,595 signatures—the first of its kind in Korea. Although the Seongnam City Council eventually deferred the review after considering various factors, this bold move set the stage for his political career.

In 2004, when the ordinance concerning the establishment and operation of the Seongnam Public Medical Center was unexpectedly rejected—a so-called “sudden defeat”—Lee was moved to tears on the plenary floor. It was amid this public healthcare campaign that obstacles imposed by opposition forces pushed him into the political arena.

During city council protests as a community representative, Lee and roughly 30 local residents were detained and subsequently convicted on charges of obstructing the performance of special public officers and damaging public property. Reflecting on those turbulent times, he later explained that if the Seongnam Medical Center had not been established through civic action, he would have become mayor himself to see it built. Incidents involving accusations of impersonating a prosecutor’s accomplice and obstructing official duties soon became ammunition for his political rivals and detractors.

After opening his law practice in Seongnam, Lee increased his community profile by engaging in social movements—serving as head of labor counseling centers in Incheon and Gwangju, and participating actively in the Lawyers’ Association for a Democratic Society.

Around the time of the 2006 local elections, he joined the Uri Party and ran for Seongnam mayor through an open primary but was defeated by Lee Dae-yeop of the Grand National Party. At that time, the Uri Party’s approval was at an all-time low, and Seongnam was known for its conservative leanings. In 2008, he received a strategic nomination in Bundang-gu’s “A” electoral district, but yet again lost to the Grand National candidate Go Heung-gil.

Achievements as Seongnam Mayor

In the June 2010 local elections, Lee Jae-myung was elected mayor under the Democratic banner with 51.2% of the vote. In 2014, he won re-election with an even higher vote share of 55.1%. Remarkably, he even triumphed in Bundang-gu—a conservative, affluent area often compared to Seoul’s Gangnam district. Once in office, his people-friendly and innovative policies earned widespread citizen approval. Some of his major accomplishments include:

• Modernizing City Administration:
  • Converted the high-rise, penthouse-style mayor’s office into a cozy book café and relocated it to the front of the second floor.
  • Installed comprehensive CCTV systems for enhanced security.
• Public Healthcare and Infrastructure:
  • Constructed the Seongnam Public Medical Center with full negative-pressure isolation rooms—a proactive measure against contagious diseases like MERS.
    (Source Details)
  • Provided remodeling support for aging residential buildings.
  • Built free public postpartum care centers.
• Cost-Saving and Transparency Initiatives:
  • Implemented a bidding system based on market prices for construction projects—saving 1.1 billion KRW on the Seohyun Library project.
  • Launched a nationwide-first policy of publicly disclosing detailed cost breakdowns for public construction projects over 1 billion KRW to prevent inflated spending.
• Fiscal Responsibility:
  • Declared a moratorium in Seongnam City, which ended in 2013 with the repayment of 676.5 billion KRW of debt inherited from former Mayor Kim Dae-up.
• Expanding Free Welfare Programs:
  • Introduced initiatives such as a youth dividend, free postpartum care, and free school uniforms (with the issuance of “Seongnam Love Gift Certificates” to boost local consumption).
  • Adopted written, oral, and even social media evaluations for public official performance to enhance transparency and efficiency.
• Enhanced Community Services and Quality of Life:
  • Built numerous community facilities including the Comprehensive Social Welfare Center for Educators, Pangyo Senior Welfare Center, Dochon Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, Seongnam Comprehensive Sports Center, Seongnam National Sports Center, Nongol Small Library, Pangyo Children’s Library, and Seohyun Library.
  • Provided free sanitary pads to youths from low-income households.
  • Installed free learning supply centers in 35 Seongnam elementary schools.
  • Established Korea’s first municipal after-school care center in vacant classrooms—supporting low-income families.
  • Introduced dedicated dental care physicians in every elementary school.
  • Offered free flu vaccinations for residents aged 60–64 (extending beyond the national support cutoff of 65).
  • Created employment opportunities for over 3,000 seniors annually.
  • Constructed the Pangyo Senior Comprehensive Welfare Center—the nation’s largest, capable of serving 3,000 seniors per day.
  • Rolled out public WiFi services on all city buses.
  • Provided bicycle insurance for all residents.
  • Installed a 1.9 km noise barrier tunnel along the Bundang-Suseo expressway and developed an overhead green park.

By executing a multitude of pro-citizen policies, Lee not only secured re-election as mayor but also enhanced Seongnam City’s reputation nationwide. His leadership, along with that of the Gyeonggi Province governor, bolstered public trust in the Democratic Party—paving the way for successive victories in the region.

Confrontation with the Park Geun-hye Administration

The confrontation with Park Geun-hye’s camp—often derisively labeled as the “pampered princess” who can’t even deliver a speech without a script, can’t eat a hamburger without a knife, and must have someone hold her umbrella—is a story in itself. Critics mock her for employing every theatrical trick, such as the new “don’t blink so you don’t shed a tear” gimmick. In contrast, Lee’s sincerity is evident; when asked, “When has he ever shed tears for the people?” his measured responses spoke louder than any forced display.

As Lee expanded free welfare programs like the youth dividend, free postpartum care, and free school uniforms—thereby earning nationwide renown—the Park Geun-hye administration, other local governments, and the Grand National Party (now the conservative main opposition) mounted serious efforts to rein him in.

In April 2016, during the National Fiscal Strategy Meeting, President Park Geun-hye argued that the populism of affluent local governments such as Seongnam must be curbed. Citing available local budgets, she proposed converting 50% of the local income tax revenue to provincial funds. Lee immediately rebutted on Facebook. In fact, when one considers the per capita budget—including central government grants—the spending in Seongnam was only average within Gyeonggi Province; in cities such as Gwacheon and Dongducheon, the per capita figures were nearly double those of Seongnam.

Further controversy arose when the issuance of “Seongnam Love Gift Certificates” as part of the youth dividend program allegedly led some individuals to cash them out on secondary trading sites. However, because the posts criticizing the system appeared even before the certificates were distributed, many suspected orchestrated provocation by the Grand National Party—long known for its habit of exaggeration. With such tactics in play, it was hardly surprising that efforts to discredit Lee’s free welfare initiatives emerged repeatedly.

In an attempt to counter Lee’s policies, the Park Geun-hye administration launched a sweeping local fiscal reform package. In response, Lee initiated a hunger strike. When the Ministry of Public Administration and Security—following a joint government audit—demanded that he submit his schedule for the next 90 days, he rebelled by tearing up his handwritten notes on a springnote (not an official document) and faxing the details instead. This act escalated tensions to a dramatic climax, though his hunger strike was ultimately halted after just 11 days following an appeal by Chairman Kim Jong-in.

National and International Recognition

Lee Jae-myung’s tenure—and the ensuing conflict with the central government—garnered international attention. The influential British current affairs weekly, The Economist, headlined Seongnam City under his leadership as “a city with high fiscal autonomy, having repaid the enormous debt inherited from the previous Saenuri Party mayor in just three years and six months.” The article highlighted the array of innovative policies and the strong, positive response from citizens. It also noted that “the Park Geun-hye administration harshly criticized Lee’s welfare policies, with former Saenuri Party leader Kim Moo-sung dismissing them as ‘the devil’s whispers.’” During his term, Lee’s policy pledge fulfillment rate reached an impressive 94.1%.

Lee Jae-myung is running for governor of Gyeonggi Province to serve more citizens.