As the Democratic Party prepares for its party convention in August, it has decided to implement a preference voting system, which has been a topic of controversy, during a Supreme Council meeting on July 14. However, the proposal for a youth committee was ultimately rejected and will undergo further discussion.
The party announced that it approved amendments to its party constitution and regulations to introduce the preference voting system during a closed Supreme Council meeting held in the National Assembly.
Chief Spokesperson Kang Jun-hyun told reporters after the meeting, "We aimed to minimize controversies regarding the selection of party leadership ahead of the convention by amending the party regulations. The main content specifies that both preference voting and runoff voting methods can be implemented."
Kang added, "The decision was made through verbal agreement, and if it passes in the party affairs committee scheduled for 4 PM today, the process will be complete."
However, Kang noted that the youth committee proposal, which was discussed alongside the preference voting system, was rejected and will be referred back for further discussion.
He explained, "The youth committee proposal, which aimed to elect one of the five elected Supreme Council members as a youth representative, was defeated in the vote and will be re-evaluated by the preparatory committee."
Following the announcement of the Supreme Council's decisions, members of the party leadership from both the pro-Kim Min-seok and pro-Jung Cheong-rae factions engaged in disputes over the rejection of the youth committee and the approval of the preference voting system.
Lee Seong-yun, a prominent member of the pro-Jung faction, expressed his intention to resign from the Supreme Council, stating, "I raised objections to the implementation of a system that violates the party constitution and regulations, but the lack of improvement is unacceptable."
Other pro-Jung members, including Park Gyu-hwan, Moon Jeong-bok, and Park Ji-won, also questioned the insistence on a specific voting method that they believe violates party rules, saying, "We decided to accept it in accordance with the spirit of prioritizing the party over personal interests that has permeated Jung Cheong-rae's leadership."
In contrast, pro-Kim members Kang Deuk-gu and Hwang Myeong-seon acknowledged that the preference voting system was already approved under the leadership of Lee Jae-myung in 2025, but criticized the rejection of the youth committee proposal.
Hwang remarked, "At that time, the preference voting system was correct, but now it is wrong. Is it the duty of a Supreme Council member to hold things up for a week? The introduction of a youth committee is not a privilege for a specific generation; it is an investment in the future of Korean politics and the Democratic Party, reflecting the spirit of the times."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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