South Korean election: Lee Jae-myung’s ‘bipartisan’ Reeboks sell out as prices skyrocket

Trainers similar to the “bipartisan” pair worn by South Korean presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung when launching his campaign on Monday sold out overnight, causing prices for the footwear to skyrocket.

The front-runner from the liberal Democratic Party of Korea swapped out his dress shoes for classic blue-and-red Reebok trainers as he kicked off his 22-day official campaign for the June 3 presidential election at Cheonggye Plaza near Seoul.

The shoes were deliberately chosen for their “bipartisan” colours, symbolising Lee’s pledge to bring together the country’s liberal and conservative voters, according to local media. Blue is typically associated with the liberal party, while red is the colour of the conservative camp.

In addition, the retro-looking shoes featured embroidered patches with the slogans “Lee Jae-myung, Now More Than Ever”, on the left and “From now on, the real Republic of Korea”, on the right.

“We no longer have time to fight over ideology. There are no longer progressive or conservative problems, but only Korean citizens’ problems,” Lee said in his campaign speech, according to The Korea Herald newspaper.