Korea's 'pandemic hero' joins Lee Jae-myung's presidential campaign
Jung Eun-kyeong, former director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, joined the presidential campaign staff of the Democratic Party of Korea candidate Rep. Lee Jae-myung.
Jung, 59, the former head of the KDCA garnered nationwide fame for the agency's response to the recent pandemic induced by the COVID-19. Time magazine in 2020 named her one of the 100 most influential people of the year, as then-President Moon Jae-in commended her contributions to the nation's antivirus efforts.
The Democratic Party on Wednesday afternoon will conduct an official launching ceremony of the team supporting Lee, who is slated to enter his second presidential race after notching a landslide victory in the primary to confirm his nomination.
Jung is among the notable names expected to take leading positions in Lee's team spanning across both the liberal and conservative factions. This includes: conservative former Environment Minister Yoon Yeo-joon, as well as prominent politicians and former government officials such as former Justice Minister Kang Keum-sil, former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, Democratic Party Floor Leader Park Chan-dae and former Gyeonggi Governer Kim Kyeong-soo, who competed against Lee in the primary this year.
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