section_path: Governor of Gyeonggi Province (2018–2021)
section_name: Governor of Gyeonggi Province (2018–2021)
paragraph_text: Governor of Gyeonggi Province (2018–2021)
  
  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. During the 2018 gubernatorial election, actress Kim Boo-sun reported that she had an affair with Lee in 2007–2009. 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. Despite general expectation of a close race, Lee would win against Nam by over 20%, managing to bring in about 56% of the vote. He was the first liberal Governor of Gyeonggi since Lim Chang-yeol twenty years earlier.
  
  Lee received acclaim for his response to the COVID-19 pandemic as governor.
  
  In March 2020, when the nation's first COVID-19 wave took place, following an infection cluster among followers of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Lee visited the residence of the organization's founder, Lee Man-hee, in Gyeonggi Province. The founder had refused to be tested for COVID-19 or to share church event attendance records for contact tracing. Lee warned the founder of the potential legal and administrative actions, and secured the founder's cooperation. He responded to critics of his COVID-19 response in the Protestant sects by invoking his own religious views, rhetorically asking, "Am I a fake Protestant?!"
  
  Lee also announced a special order for all foreigners working in Gyeonggi Province to be tested for COVID-19. Seoul announced similar policies but changed them to recommendation after facing criticism. Lee's special order resulted in finding 329 new positive cases.
  
  In February 2021, a year after the first Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting was held to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, it was revealed that Lee attended only three meetings, while the average number of meetings attended by provincial and municipal leaders was 68.5. In response, Lee said in April 2021 that he used his time effectively in addressing more critical issues. Chung Sye-kyun publicly shared his frustration that Lee would not have made such a statement if he was well aware of the government's efforts in containing the virus and vaccinating the public.
  
  Throughout 2021, Lee was partially at odds with the central government over his plan to provide COVID-19 disaster relief funds to all residents of Gyeonggi Province.
  
  Lee frequently stated in office, "I have kept an average of 95 percent of my campaign promises while serving the public", and "Even if I might have to experience a political loss, I believe in the collective intelligence of the public, and push forward on the right things in order to bring about results. That is my style". He resigned as governor to focus on his bid for the presidency on 25 October 2021.