The Democratic Party's preliminary elections concluded without surprises, confirming Kim Min-seok, Song Young-gil, and Jeong Cheong-rae as candidates for the party leadership. Additionally, the number of candidates for the supreme council was narrowed from 14 to 8.
Election Management Committee Chair So Byeong-hoon announced the results of the preliminary elections for the party leader and supreme council candidates on July 23 at the National Assembly. The party leader candidates were determined based on a combination of votes from central committee members and party members, which accounted for 35% each, along with a public opinion poll that contributed 30%. For the supreme council candidates, the votes from central committee members and party members were each weighted at 50%.
Candidates who did not advance included lawmaker Ko Min-jeong, former Gangjin County Council Chair Kim Bo-mi, and six others (Lee Geon-tae, Park Seong-jun, Gwangmyeong Mayor Park Seung-won, Policy Committee Vice Chair Jeong Min-cheol, former lawmaker Shin Gye-ryun, and former Military Human Rights Center Secretary Kim Hyeong-nam). The vote counts were not disclosed.
After the announcement, candidate Kim Min-seok stated, "As the convention officially begins, the reform of the prosecution must be completed," adding that "prosecution reform should not become an obstacle or a tool for others."
Candidate Jeong Cheong-rae emphasized the need for internal unity and external collaboration, stating, "We must secure the one-person, one-vote system and move toward becoming a party that prioritizes the rights of its members."
Candidate Song Young-gil declared, "There should be no more conflicts between the party and the government," vowing to create a unified Democratic Party that can make an irreplaceable South Korea.
Tensions have escalated between factions ahead of this convention, particularly regarding the introduction of a preference voting system and the failure of a youth supreme council initiative. Recently, allegations of involvement by the Shincheonji religious group were raised by Kim Min-seok's camp, prompting the pro-Cheong-rae faction to demand his resignation if the claims lack evidence.
The supreme council candidates include five from the pro-Lee Jae-myung faction (Park Seon-won, Seo Mi-hwa, Kim Young-ho, Lim Mi-ae, and former Democratic Research Institute Vice President Kim Yong) and three from the pro-Cheong-rae faction (Lee Seong-yun, Han Min-soo, and Choi Min-hee).
* This article has been translated by AI.
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