Bringing a last-minute change to the election dynamics, Lee Jung-hee of the minor Unified Progressive Party quit the race Sunday, vowing to help the opposition forces win Wednesday’s presidential election.

“I withdraw my presidential candidacy in order to gather together progressive, pro-democracy and reform forces in order to realize the people’s desire for an administration change,” Lee said at a press conference at the National Assembly, flanked by her party members.

“Administration of the Saenuri Party’s Park Geun-hye, who is the descendent of a pro-Japan collaborator and the root of the outdated and corrupt Yushin dictatorship, will be a disaster for the people and an irrecoverable regression of history,” Lee said, referring to Park’s late father, former President Park Chung-hee.

It had been widely speculated that Lee with a less than 1 percent approval rating would forfeit before the election, with Lee having repeatedly stated that her goal in running the race was solely to have Park lose.

It remains to be seen whether Democratic United Party candidate Moon Jae-in will openly join hands with Lee after their earlier alliance had resulted in the DUP’s defeat in the April general elections as the Saenuri Party heaped attacks on the UPP for being pro-North.

DUP Rep. Rhee Mok-hee in charge of Moon’s campaign planning said Lee’s decision showed the change of government was the biggest task of the times. But he drew the line at her decision being irrelevant to the DUP.

“Lee has not made any promise or consensus with the DUP,” he said.

The DUP nonetheless welcomed her withdrawal.

“We believe that Lee’s resignation is a decision upon heavy acceptance of the people’s yearning for a change of government. Moon and the DUP will certainly realize the administration change and open the new era of new politics where people come first,” said Moon’s co-spokesman Park Gwang-on.

The Saenuri Party, for their part, denounced her move as the opposition’s ploy against Park.

“(Her resignation) has proven that it was all a calculated political conspiracy by the opposition to have Park drop through false propaganda,” said Kim Moo-sung, chief of the general elections headquarters.

“We trust that the people will judge the attempt by (the DUP) to join hands with the UPP, which is the pro-North hotbed, once again after their alliance in the general elections, as they face drawbacks in the race,” he added.

With Lee bowing out of the race, the final televised debate late Sunday evening between the presidential candidates was conducted between Park and Moon.

Lee earned a minor 0.9 percent of support according to polls conducted by Herald Corp. and Realmeter as of last Wednesday. The gap between Park and Moon had been as close as 0.1 percentage points to as high as 3.7 percentage points according to the last batch of legitimate surveys to be released before the election day. Lee’s support ratings, albeit small, could thus play a role in defining the final winner, political pundits have suggested.

Lee’s resignation came as the two other frontrunners’ have been resorting to rough-and-tumble politics with counter-allegations of illegal campaigning as the candidates run a knife-edge race.

With no more polls to go by, each team are claiming to have the upper hand, with Park’s side assuring they have “secured the win,” while Moon’s side contends “the drama of a grand turnaround has begun.”

“It is believed that the upturn trend of DUP candidate Moon has dwindled,” said Kim Gwang-rim, president of the ruling party’s think tank Youido Institute at a press conference Sunday.

“Based on our own survey conducted after the (survey deadline after which releases are banned), the gap (between Park and Moon) has further widened,” he said, without disclosing the numbers.

The DUP, on the other hand, expressed confidence that the tide has turned.

“The grand turnaround (of the race) by the people has been confirmed at yesterday’s Gwanghwamun rally (by Moon),” said Lee In-young, co-chairman of Moon’s election committee, at a morning meeting Sunday.

“The people will come to vote, create a new power and set forth the future direction of our society with the new power,” he said.

The remaining variables are the people’s reaction to the third and final television debate among the two remaining presidential candidates on social issues, the voter turnout, and the direction of the swing votes amid heightened security awareness upon North Korea’s Dec. 12 rocket launch, political observers said.

Throughout the weekend, the headquarters of both campaigns were busy and boisterous with a slew of press briefings held to counter or defend allegations of illicit campaigning.

The Saenuri Party on Sunday filed a defamation charge against the Seoul branch of the NEC, which has decided to indict a SNS campaigning official identified by his surname Yoon on charges of running an illegal campaigning.

The party claimed that the commission branch falsely depicted the people involved as having engaged in the manipulation of comments on SNS, and also empasized the party had no affiliation with Yoon’s activities.

The Saenuri Party is also alleging the DUP of running an illegal SNS campaigning team of some 70 members at unregistered second headquarters in Yeouido. It also claimed that a DUP official distributed false information online using a forged Yeouido Institute survey showing Moon leading Park in polls.

The DUP, in retaliation, slammed the Saenuri Party for denying its involvement with Yoon and vowed to take legal action against the Saenuri Party’s claim that it was operating an illegal second campaign office.

Taking a pause from their full-fledged allegations including a claim that the National Intelligence Service official has been secretly spreading rumors against Moon, the DUP demanded an apology from Park for making negative attacks against their candidate.

They referred to Park’s earlier comments that “the country should not be left to a candidate that has renounced the Northern Limit Line, the de facto demarcation with North Korea.”

While their campaign managers engaged in the tug-of-war, the two candidates each contended they were dedicated to negativity-free campaigns.

“It is hoped that we no longer engage in things that will divide the people, and think about what to do for our country after the election,” Park said during her rally on Saturday, as she proposed a gathering of ruling and opposition leaders until the launch of the new government to discuss state affairs.

Moon also vowed a clean campaign during his rally the same day, stating, “Former candidate Ahn Cheol-soo and I will fight fair and square until the end of the election no matter how the Saenuri Party plays illegal false propaganda and slanders me.”

Moon was unexpectedly joined by his ally Ahn while he was on the stump in Gwanghwamun.

Earlier in the day, Ahn criticized the smear campaigning, tweeting, “I could not sleep the whole night. If the process gets this muddy, half (of the voters) will turn their backs even if one wins.”

By Lee Joo-hee
(jhl@heraldcorp.com)