South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s approval rating stands at 59.8 percent, according to Real Meter’s latest survey, and the ruling Democratic Party (DP) enters the June 3 local elections as the overwhelming favorite. It is widely expected to capture at least 15 of 17 metropolitan governorships. By nearly every conventional measure, this should be the political equivalent of a victory lap.
Instead, the DP is contending with a self-inflicted distraction in the form of the party’s leader, Jung Chung-rae.
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