Song Young-gil, a member of the Democratic Party, will announce his candidacy for party leadership on July 8 at the party headquarters. After winning a seat in the June 3 by-elections, Song has become the longest-serving member of the party and is focusing on garnering support from the pro-Lee Jae-myung faction.
On July 7, Song's camp confirmed the announcement, intensifying his challenge for the party leadership. Speculation about his candidacy grew after he was seen holding a declaration of candidacy during a National Assembly Defense Committee meeting on July 6. With Song's announcement, he is expected to compete against Kim Min-seok, the former Prime Minister, who has also expressed his intention to run.
Additionally, the possibility of Jeong Cheong-rae, a former party leader, entering the race has been mentioned. Since the June 3 local elections, Song has criticized Jeong's leadership, indicating a desire to counter him.
Within the party, there are concerns about factional conflicts between the pro-Lee and pro-Jeong camps. Analysts suggest that Song and Kim may form an alliance before the final vote to counter Jeong.
Meanwhile, the upcoming party convention will introduce a one-person, one-vote system, weighted voting, and a runoff voting process, which are seen as potential variables in the election. The convention's itinerary begins in the Chungcheong region, Jeong's hometown, raising questions about fairness.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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