Japan asks S. Korea to block monument by former wartime sex slaves

"It is true that I was shocked by my low approval ratings," Lee told Yonhap News by phone. "I felt that I fall far short of reaching to citizens and arousing their sympathy." Lee played major roles in the Citizens Coalition for Economic Justice, the nation's largest civic organization monitoring unfair business practices, in the 1990s and won a legal battle to block the capital relocation plan under the late president Roh Moo-hyun. His campaign has been supported by right-wing activists and groups that have grown uneasy over GNP's efforts to expand the welfare budget and reconcile with North Korea. Lee said he will confirm his decision as early as Thursday after consulting with his supporters. Rep. Na Kyung-won of the GNP effectively becomes the only candidate in the conservative ruling camp to run for the Oct. 26 election against a unified candidate from the liberal bloc. In the opposition camp, Park Won-soon and Rep. Park Young-sun of the Democratic Party are running campaigns to become the unified candidate in the liberal bloc. The ultimate runner will be decided in a party convention slated for Sept. 3.