'COVID Hero' Jeong Eun-kyeong Joins Lee Jae-myung's Election Campaign

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, has enlisted Jeong Eun-kyeong, the former director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), who was referred to as a 'COVID hero' for her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the 29th, Park Chan-dae, the acting chairman of the Democratic Party and floor leader, stated in a floor strategy meeting, "Starting tomorrow (30th), the Democratic Party will transition to an election campaign committee system and concentrate all party efforts on winning the presidential election."

On the 30th at 2 PM, the Democratic Party will hold a launch ceremony for the central election campaign committee at the National Assembly members' hall conference room, shifting from the existing supreme committee system to the election campaign committee system. Additionally, the floor strategy meeting will be transformed into a meeting of campaign headquarters leaders.

Jeong, who led K-quarantine with her 'white hair tenacity', has been confirmed as the co-chairperson to lead the committee.

It has been reported that six co-chairpersons, including Jeong, Park, former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo, former Justice Minister Kang Geum-sil, and former Environment Minister Yoon Yeo-joon, have been appointed as co-chairs of the election campaign committee.

Kim Kyung-soo, who was a rival to Lee Jae-myung in the Democratic Party’s primary, has accepted to join the campaign committee after much deliberation.

Jeong served as the director of the Disease Policy Division at the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the head of the Disease Control Headquarters, and from September 2020, she was the inaugural head of the Korea Disease Control Agency, which was elevated from the headquarters.

She is credited as the primary individual responsible for quarantine efforts during the 2 years and 4 months from January 2020, when the first COVID-19 case was reported in the country.

Additionally, she was recognized globally, making the BBC's list of '100 Women of the Year' and Time magazine's '100 Most Influential People in the World' in 2020.

Image source: News1, On the 27th at a joint speech session for the metropolitan area, Gangwon, and Jeju, Lee Jae-myung, selected as the candidate for the 21st presidential election of the Democratic Party, is seen greeting after concluding his acceptance speech. / News1, In October 2021, Jeong Eun-kyeong, then head of the KDCA, captures attention with her worn-out shoes during a briefing at the Government Seoul Building in Jongno, where she announced the final implementation plan for the new quarantine system 'Gradual Return to Daily Life', set to be introduced starting next month. / News1