Kim Min-seok, a candidate for the leadership of the Democratic Party, secured victories in Gangwon and Gyeongbuk during the party's regional primary held on August 9. This win means Kim has triumphed over Jeong Cheong-rae in all regions except for Busan, Ulsan, Gyeongnam, and Daegu, including Chungcheong, Jeju, and Incheon.
In the primary held at the Grand Ballroom of the Inter-Burgo EXCO Hotel in Daegu, Kim emerged victorious against Jeong. Kim garnered 9,568 votes in Gangwon and 4,948 votes in Gyeongbuk, surpassing Jeong's 7,978 and 4,774 votes, respectively.
However, Jeong managed to win in Daegu, receiving 4,603 votes compared to Kim's 4,461, thus avoiding a complete sweep. Song Young-gil received a total of 2,760 votes, with 1,476 in Gangwon, 561 in Daegu, and 723 in Gyeongbuk.
In the final tally, Kim also led Jeong, with 18,977 votes to Jeong's 17,355, giving Kim a margin of 1,622 votes.
Before the results were announced, the candidates presented their platforms at a joint speech event. Given that the event took place in Daegu, a stronghold for the Democratic Party, Kim unveiled pledges tailored to the Yeongnam region.
Kim proposed including the spirit of the February 28 Student Movement in the preamble of the constitution, establishing a youth cultural festival, and creating a fund to support re-challenges for candidates in the region.
He stated, "The February 28 Student Movement, the Busan-Masan Democratic Uprising, the Gwangju May 18 Democratic Movement, and the June 10 Democratic Uprising all deserve to be included in the constitutional preamble. When pursuing constitutional amendments, we must ensure that the roots of democracy in Daegu are clearly recognized." He added, "We will hold youth cultural festivals in Daegu and Honam to connect with young people worldwide and establish a re-challenge fund to support candidates who have lost, breaking the cycle of defeat in difficult regions."
Jeong announced plans to reinitiate a merger with the Justice Party, emphasizing the need for unity among the broader democratic camp while continuing to challenge Kim.
Jeong remarked, "We must quickly merge with the Justice Party and collaborate with other progressive parties to ensure the Democratic Party's growth. Those who supported Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, Moon Jae-in, and Lee Jae-myung must unite." He criticized Kim, saying, "How can we win the general election when you shout about division and unfounded allegations against the Shincheonji? You are already acting as if you are distributing party positions."
In contrast, Song publicly opposed Jeong's proposal for a merger with the Justice Party, directly targeting Jeong.
Song stated, "What kind of merger can we have with a party that has a support rate of only 0.8%? I openly oppose merging with the Justice Party. Instead, we should lower the requirements for negotiating groups to enable the progressive camp to operate more effectively." He also referenced the defeat of candidate Kim Boo-kyum in the June 3 local elections, saying, "When the party leader wanted to campaign in Daegu, the candidate's camp asked them not to come. It was a golden opportunity to win in Daegu, but the party leadership was focused only on ending the internal strife and ended up losing."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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