Former footballer Lee Chun-soo joins PPP candidate's campaign team

Politics

Published: 22 Feb. 2024, 19:04

Former footballer Lee Chun-soo joins PPP candidate's campaign team

Won Hee-ryong, left, the People Power Party candidate for Incheon's Gyeyang B constituency, and former footballer Lee Chun-soo greet commuters during Won's election campaign at Gyesan Station in Incheon on Thursday morning. [NEWS1]

Former national footballer Lee Chun-soo takes on a new duty as head of the sponsorship association for former Land Minister Won Hee-ryong, a candidate from the ruling People Power Party (PPP) who is running for Incheon’s Gyeyang B constituency in the April 10 general elections.

Lee joined the election campaign at Gyesan Station in Incheon on Thursday morning, according to the former minister’s camp.

Lee grew up in Bupyeong District in Incheon. He played for Incheon United between 2013 and 2015. Lee ended his athletic career on the team.

The former football player said he had met Won at Jeju Girl’s High School in 2016. Lee visited the school to show his support for a student football club on the verge of closure after the Culture Ministry decided to cut funding for the team.

“I am grateful that the encounter from eight years ago continues to Lee’s neighborhood,” Won said.

“Lee agrees with the idea that ‘incumbent office and the party should be dethroned to make Gyeyang a better place,” Won said, while pointing out that the local sentiment favorable to the Democratic Party (DP) was the cause for lagging development in the district.

Lee endorsed the opposing DP in the previous general elections in 2020, supporting Song Young-gil, who represented the Gyeyang B constituency from 2016 to 2022. Song was also a former DP leader.

DP chief Lee Jae-myung represents Gyeyang B District.

BY LEE JI-YOUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]