The Democratic Party of Korea on July 17 granted exceptional candidate qualifications to Song Young-gil, a lawmaker, and Kim Yong, former deputy head of the Democratic Research Institute, who declared their candidacies for party leader and supreme council member, respectively. The party held a series of meetings, including a Supreme Council meeting and a Party Affairs Committee meeting, to finalize the decision.
Kang Jun-hyun, the party's chief spokesperson, told reporters at the National Assembly, "The party rules specify that the eligibility of candidates for party leader and supreme council members can be determined differently through a decision by the Party Affairs Committee," adding, "We have decided to apply exceptions for the two candidates, Song and Kim."
According to the party's regulations, eligibility to run for office is granted only to party members who have been members for at least six months prior to the eligibility exercise date and have paid party dues at least six times within the year preceding that date.
Song, who left the party in 2023 amid allegations of distributing money envelopes, returned to the party in February after a court acquitted him. However, he has not yet completed six months since his return. Kim, on the other hand, reportedly failed to meet the party dues requirement due to a prison sentence related to charges of receiving money from private developers during the Daejang-dong development scandal.
The Democratic Party's rules allow for exceptions to be recognized by the Party Affairs Committee if significant reasons are acknowledged through a Supreme Council decision. Following the Supreme Council's recognition of Song and Kim's candidacies, some members aligned with the pro-Cheongrae faction expressed their discontent, calling it "excessive benefits." In contrast, supporters of Song stated that the Party Affairs Committee's decision upheld the members' right to choose, asserting, "Today's decision is neither a privilege nor a favor. It was handled according to the party's constitution and regulations."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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