Later in November, he was convicted of violating the Public Official Election Act by falsely denying his connection with Kim Moon-ki, a former executive of Seongnam Development Corporation, during his 2022 presidential campaign.

Lee grew up in poverty, and as a result of his family's lack of funds, he would frequently forgo social activities and relied on the generosity of school faculty to attend field trips.

[citation needed] Lee's personal experience with crushing poverty inspired his political philosophy of 'Eokgang Buyak', which aims to curb the privileges and excesses of the powerful and support the poorest segments of society.

He ran as a candidate in the local elections in 2006, but was defeated by 23.75% of the vote due to poor public opinion about the Uri Party and Roh administration at the time.

[15][16] He also attracted attention due to his active use of social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, often expressing his views on national issues bluntly on the two services.

[18][19] In 2016, Lee, an animal rights advocate, signed an agreement with shop owners that prohibited the display and slaughter of live dogs at the market.

[14] By the time he had finished his term as mayor of the city, a survey showcased he had implemented 270 of 287 total promises, including the construction and expansion of the Seongnam Medical Center, a youth dividend policy, and the free student uniform program.

Following his defeat for the presidential nomination, Lee ran for Governor of Gyeonggi Province, which encompasses much of the Seoul Capital Area and has a population of over 13 million, in the 2018 local elections.

[21] He won the Democratic Party primary for the governorship over close Moon Jae-in ally Jeon Hae-cheol, capturing about 60% of the vote and being selected to run against incumbent governor Nam Kyung-pil.

Following his narrow loss in the presidential election the same year, on 7 May 2022, Lee declared his candidacy in the June 2022 South Korean by-elections running for Incheon Gyeyang District B vacant seat in the National Assembly.

[33] On 2 January 2024, Lee was stabbed in the left side of his neck while holding a question and answer session with reporters after touring the construction site of a planned new airport located on Gadeokdo in Busan.

[39] Though the neck wound was not considered to be life threatening, Lee's surgery took longer than expected, with damage being inflicted on his jugular vein that led to additional bleeding.

Lee started a livestream on his YouTube channel, recording himself climbing the National Assembly building fence to bypass the military personnel.

[40][41][42] This was confirmed from testimony by National Intelligence Service (NIS) Deputy Director Hong Jang-won, who stated Yoon wanted to "use this chance to arrest [opposition leaders] and wipe them out.

[52] However, as the protests began to dim with the impeachment of the President and removal of her in favor of Hwang Kyo-ahn, Lee Jae-myung's approval rating, who was popular for his remarks on the scandal, also fell.

"My first objective, if I am elected president, would be to help Korea take the lead in fighting climate change, the global pandemic and the ever-speedy technological revolution.

[60] Lee asserts that the slowdown of economic growth is related to the unfairness and polarization in many areas of the economy: for example, the gap between big monopolies and small and medium-sized enterprises, the differences between platforms and irregular workers, and inequalities in the real estate market.

Another aspect that Lee sees as vital for the Korean economy is recent global trends in technological progress, such as energy and digital transformation, which could cause crises or provide new opportunities depending on policy responses.

He provided a mobile app to monitor the movements of COVID-19 confirmed patients without violating privacy and revealing personal information, using data encryption technology.

[78][79] South Korean media characterized Lee Jae-Myung as being hostile to feminism and no different from his fellow 2022 presidential opponent Yoon Suk Yeol.

Lee criticizes conservatives' immigration policies for focusing on securing simple labor and is actively interested in the human rights of foreign workers.

[92] Lee Jae-myung revealed his diplomats about the United States and neighboring countries China and Japan as presidential candidates, while seeking friendly relations with North Korea.

"[108] The Dong-A Ilbo, a conservative media outlet in South Korea, said Lee Jae-Myung's state-led policies are closer to Park Chung Hee's authoritarianism than left-wing populism based on social equality.

[109] When Lee Jae-Myung evaluated Chun Doo-hwan's economic performance favourably on 11 December 2021, he was criticized by South Korea's liberal camp.

[115][116][117] In July 2020, the Supreme Court found Lee not guilty of breaching campaign law during a television debate for Gyeonggi provincial governor.

He was also accused of receiving or demanding more than 18 billion won from four companies in bribes to fund a football club in the city, in return for favours in his capacity as the Mayor.

[124][125] In September 2023, Seoul prosecutors sought another motion to arrest Lee on corruption charges for giving special favours to a land developer in the Baekhyeon-dong neighbourhood and sending 8 million dollars to North Korea through the Ssangbangwool Group.

[126] On that day, Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon issued an arrest warrant for Lee, marking a historic first, as the motion passed during a heated plenary session with 136 lawmakers opposing it.

[129] In June 2024, Lee was indicted again, on bribery charges in an alleged scheme to transfer funds to North Korea and facilitate a visit to Pyongyang.

He was accused of asking an underwear company to illegally transfer $8 million to North Korea between 2019 and 2020, during his tenure as governor of Gyeonggi Province, to facilitate a visit.