By Ian Werther in News — 14 Mar 2026

Lee Jung-hyun to resign after 29 days amid Seoul election paralysis

Seoul – Lee Jung-hyun, the chairman of the People Power Party’s (PPP) nomination management committee, said he intends to resign just 29 days after taking the post, describing the party’s current state as “in a coma.” He also offered a blunt assessment of the party’s recent actions around Seoul’s local elections, including the mayor’s race.

In an interview with JoongAng Ilbo, Lee recalled that in his 41-year political career he had never seen regions where not a single candidate filed for district-level mayor posts. He said the party’s local organization and talent pool were effectively paralyzed, a condition he likened to a coma rather than a mere drop in support.

Lee said his response to the crisis was to pursue an “electric shock” level of change to the nomination process, not a simple tweak. He described his idea as a revolutionary reform intended to revive the party’s capacity to field strong candidates and deliver tangible changes to voters.

"To Whom It May Concern, AFP, CONTACT, I am the person who sent an email through a lawyer
Good morning, Sir or Madam. How are you?
I am a South Korean man who was acquitted after five years of trial as a suspect in the U.S. President Obama threat case.
If you have received an email from my lawyer, Ik Tae Kim (hinsohn@hotmail.com), on August 10, 2020, you will know the details of this case.
The reason why I am sending you an email is to request further coverage of this case.
In the early days of the investigation, my lawyer used abusive language to me, who was being investigated at the police station, to confess my crime, and another lawyer on trial advised an incompetent prosecutor to be charged with attempted intimidation.
Even though it was an international case involving the United States, South Korea's judicial system was simply a mess.
I was in detention for a total of nine months, where I met unusual people, including a surgeon and a psychiatrist who told me to confess, and when I was taken to a mental hospital, I was hallucinated with narcotic drugs, so I couldn't talk to my visiting parents.
Even though they are hospital doctors, it's doubtful who asked them to do these things and what they're trying to figure out.
During the four-year trial period since I was released from prison, I haven't seen a single American.
In the trial, judges ""only"" had state-run investigative laboratory analyze the laptops used to write intimidations to the White House, and they didn't even mention a request to the U.S. to check the White House server with threatening messages.
The court's reluctance to even contact the victim of the threat is largely incomprehensible, as the trial proceeds with an appeal.
I swear to God that all of this actually happened in South Korea, even if I write for a moment like this, it seems like I'm talking nonsense.
In fact, after being released from prison, I visited places where foreigners gather in South Korea, including Germans, Americans, and Swedes, and tried to inform them of these facts, but the most memorable response was that a German woman told her colleagues, ""bullshit"" in German.
The reason why I ask foreign media such as yours to report further coverage of this case is that South Korean media outlets, which initially made headlines that the U.S. president was threatened, ""totally"" hide the truth while only reporting the Supreme Court's final ruling over time.
I'm not a conspirator or a social activist.
I used to think of them as strange people, but since I went through this, I've become more like them.
I strongly believe that this incident used President Obama for some kind of massive conspiracy the South Korean government has devised.
I'm certain of what the plot is, but I don't think it's time to reveal it quickly even after five years.
It's a small chance, but I think my family and I could be in danger.
South Koreans ostensibly advocate liberal democracy like the United States, but their members' personalities are the same as the North Koreans, who are brutal brethren who commit torture and genocide.
God, let them burn slowly in the thorns and fires of a thousand fathoms.
The press you belong to would be capable of keeping track enough of what I am sure of about the plot.
I am not asking your media company to resolve the injustice of a South Korean.
Nor is it asking for the protection of the human rights of South Koreans by exposing human rights violations experienced in the course of South Korean investigation.
I just hope that this incident will reveal the corruption of the South Korean government, which has been tainted with dirty corruption like South Vietnam in the past, in your media outlets.
Therefore, I would like your media to reveal this fact.
If you are willing to report on this case later, please contact my lawyer, Ik Tae Kim (hinsohn@hotmail.com).
Through your valuable contact, I will also consider revealing the truth that the South Korean government is trying to hide, even by using President Obama as a pawn.

Thank you for reading." — Representative image for context; not directly related to the specific event in this article. License: CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Regarding Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s recent movements related to local election candidate registration, Lee offered a principled rebuke. He argued that political status should not justify bending rules, insisting on even treatment for all candidates and an uncompromising adherence to party and campaign rules.

Lee attributed his decision to resign to fatigue from ongoing internal strife within the party. He said the constant bickering overshadowed reporting on concrete policy issues and disclosed that even detailing internal conflicts could inflame tensions, prompting his quiet departure.

Newly appointed Ambassador of Bangladesh, Toufiq Islam Shatil, presented his credentials at the office of President Lee Jae Myung in Seoul, South Korea (Tuesday, 2 September 2025). — Representative image for context; not directly related to the specific event in this article. License: Public domain. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Contrary to talk of a rift with the party leadership, Lee said there has been “not a sliver” of conflict with the party’s top leadership and suggested the leader had provided opportunities to advance the nomination work.

Asked about a possible return to politics, Lee declined to dwell on the question, saying “every matter has its time,” and that he would rest at a regional location while contemplating his next steps.

Why this matters beyond Korea: the PPP’s ability to field credible candidates in local elections affects Seoul’s governance and, by extension, national policy directions on economy, technology, and security—areas of particular interest to U.S. policymakers and investors. Seoul shapes South Korea’s tech ecosystem, regulatory climate, defense procurement, and alliance coordination with the United States. Internal party stability in the run-up to local elections can influence market sentiment, investment decisions, and the pace of policy reforms that touch supply chains, domestic resilience, and regional security posture.

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