Lee Cheol-woo, the Gyeongbuk province governor, visited former President Lee Myung-bak on the 9th and expressed his determination to run in the 21st presidential election.
On the same day, Governor Lee visited the former president at his private residence in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
The governor noted, "South Korea is in a very difficult situation right now, and the liberal conservatives need to step up to prevent the crisis of liberal democracy." He added, "As the head of the liberal conservative family in Gyeongbuk, I cannot stand by as the country collapses, and I've decided to dedicate myself fully to this cause."
In response, the former president said, "I deeply empathize with the fact that the country is in crisis. It's also true that Gyeongbuk has always stepped up during crises." He encouraged, "As the representative of Gyeongbuk, if you do your best, good results will follow."
The governor also reminisced about his past connection with the former president. He said, "In 2008, during the Chunhyang Daeje, the president was the chief officiant, and I served as the assistant officiant. At that time, the president was overwhelmingly elected, and I also had the good fortune of being elected as a member of the National Assembly from Kimcheon, which was considered a difficult area." He continued, "Yesterday, at the Chunhyang Daejeongsa, I served as the chief officiant again, and I feel that something good will happen this time as well."
Earlier that day, the governor held a press conference at the National Assembly, declaring, "With a firm sense of national identity, patriotism, and solid skills and experience, the new figure who can defeat Lee Jae-myung is Lee Cheol-woo."