| Lee Sang-kyu | |
| Native Name Lang: | ko |
| Birth Date: | 7 January 1965 |
| Birth Place: | Jecheon, North Chungcheong, South Korea |
| Citizenship: | South Korean |
| Office1: | Permanent President of the Minjung Party |
| Term Start1: | 26 August 2018 |
| Term End1: | 20 June 2020 |
| Predecessor1: | Kim Jong-hoon Kim Chang-han |
| Successor1: | Kim Jae-yeon |
| Office2: | Member of the National Assembly |
| Constituency2: | Gwanak 2nd |
| Term Start2: | 30 May 2012 |
| Term End2: | 19 December 2014 |
| Predecessor2: | Kim Hui-chul |
| Successor2: | Oh Shin-hwan |
| Party: | Progressive |
| Otherparty: | NVD21 (1997-1999) DLP (2000-2011) UPP (2011-2014) PUP (2016-2017) NPP (2017) Minjung (2017-2020) |
| Alma Mater: | Seoul National University |
| Spouse: | Kim Hyang-soo |
| Children: | 3 |
| Occupation: | Activist, labourer, politician |
Lee Sang-kyu (born 7 January 1965) is a South Korean activist, labourer and politician. He was the Permanent President of the Minjung Party, a minor left-wing nationalist political party. He was elected as the Member of National Assembly for Gwanak 2nd constituency in 2012 but invalidated by court order in 2014.
Born in Jecheon,[1] Lee attended Yongmoon High School, and earned a bachelor's degree in public law from Seoul National University.[1] He joined a student movement, as well as serving as the President of the Student Council of his faculty.[1] [2] Following the graduation, he became a labourer,[2] working at print shops and construction sites.[1] He was also a member of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions.[1]
He is also a colleague to Kim Jin-tae, the Liberty Korea MP for Chuncheon.[1]
Lee was an independent Guro District Council member candidate for Sindorim-dong in 1995 but was not elected.[2] He helped Kwon Young-ghil, the presidential candidate of the National Victory for Development 21 in 1997.[1] [2] After the party was refounded as the Democratic Labour Party (DLP; then Unified Progressive Party), he subsequently joined and ran for a Seoul Metropolitan Council member in 2002 but lost.[2]
Lee ran 8th in the DLP list at the 2008 election but was not elected;[2] in fact, DLP only gained 2 FPTPs and 3 PRs. He was selected as the DLP MP candidate for Eunpyeong 2nd constituency at the 2010 by-election, though he abandoned his campaign.[3]
At the 2012 election, both Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Unified Progressive Party (UPP) agreed to put unity candidates in some constituencies, including Gwanak 2nd.[4] Originally, Lee Jung-hee, one of the co-Presidents of the UPP, won the opposition preselection over Kim Hui-chul, the DUP candidate and the incumbent MP.[5] However, Kim subsequently left DUP and ran as an independent candidate,[6] citing that the preselection was rigged.[7] Lee Jung-hee was forced to withdraw,[8] making Lee Sang-kyu to replace her.[9] He received 38.24%, defeating Oh Shin-hwan (Saenuri) and Kim Hui-chul (Independent).[10]
The UPP was banned by the court order on 19 December 2014, in which the elections of its all MPs were nullified.[11] Lee announced his bid as an independent candidate at the 2015 by-election,[12] but then withdrew.[13] In the end, the Saenuri candidate Oh Shin-hwan, who lost to Lee in 2012, was finally elected, making him as the first conservative candidate of the liberal-leaning constituency since its creation in 1988.[14]
Prior to the 2016 election, Lee joined the People's United Party (PUP, then Minjung Party), a minor left-wing party formed by several notable ex-UPP members.[15] He was selected as the PUP's MP candidate for Gwanak 2nd,[16] but ended up with 1.91%.[17] After that, he shortly left politics and worked as a plumber, till returned to help the party's presidential candidate Kim Sun-dong at the 2017 presidential election.[1]
In 2018, Lee announced his bid for Seoul mayorship.[18] In fact, he showed his intention to run in 2010 but endorsed Han Myeong-sook.[19] He lost to Kim Jin-sook in preselection.[18]
On 26 August 2018, Lee was elected as the Permanent President of the Minjung Party, received 96%.[20]
On 22 May 2012, Lee was questioned by an audience in MBC 100 Minutes Debate, to explain his position and opinion about the issues regarding North Korea i.e. human rights and nuclear.[21] He replied that the question has a problem, adding that people should look the exact appearance of the country.[21] This was criticised by Chin Jung-kwon, saying "All politicians should ensure their ideologies and orientations to the voters. Otherwise, he or she is not supposed to take any duties."[21]
Lee married to Kim Hyang-soo, who is 15 years younger than him.[2] Both have 3 children.[2]
| Year | Constituency | Political party | Votes (%) | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | PR (8th) | 973,445 (5.70%) | Not elected | ||
| 2010 | Eunpyeong 2nd | Withdrawn | |||
| 2012 | Gwanak 2nd | 43,158 (38.24%) | Won | ||
| 2015 | Gwanak 2nd | Withdrawn | |||
| 2016 | Gwanak 2nd | 2,354 (1.91%) | Defeated | ||
| 2020 | PR (4th) | 295,612 (1.05%) | Not elected |