Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung cast his ballot on the first day of early voting Friday, criticizing the government’s cut in the research and development budget during a visit to the central city of Daejeon.
Lee, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), said after voting that he wanted to vote together with students of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), a top science college in Daejeon, to highlight the importance of science and technology.
“I hope young scientists make sure to vote for the sake of the future,” Lee told reporters.
Lee denounced the government’s RandD budget cut, calling it a decision made out of “ignorance.”
“What’s most alarming is that foreign countries compete to attract our young scientists and researchers,” Lee told reporters. “I think the future of the Republic of Korea will be really gloomy if this becomes the reality.”
On his election forecast, Lee said about 50-60 out of 254 directly contested races are very tight.
“Our analysis puts
the contested races at 49 to 50, while (the ruling party) sees some 50-60 districts as battlegrounds that are too close to call,” Lee said.
“Depending on how these 50-60 seats turn out, we could even see a situation where the People Power Party will win the majority. … We still have that feeling of angst,” Lee said.
He expressed expectations for a high voter turnout, citing the record turnout in the overseas voting.
“We could have a similar situation in the country,” Lee said. “We have expectations that the voter turnout could increase.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency