Kim Min-seok Wins Tight Race Against Jeong Cheong-rae in First Democratic Party Primary

The Democratic Party of Korea announced that candidate Kim Min-seok narrowly defeated Jeong Cheong-rae in the first round of voting for the party's leadership at the Daejeon Convention Center.

On August 1, the party revealed the results of the voting in the Chungcheong region, which includes South Chungcheong, North Chungcheong, Daejeon, and Sejong.

Kim received 45.05% of the votes, edging out Jeong, who garnered 44.61%, by a margin of just 0.44 percentage points. Meanwhile, Song Young-gil finished third with 10.34% of the vote.

This convention marks the first time the Democratic Party has implemented a one-person, one-vote system, with the voting weight set at 70% for delegates and party members and 30% for the public. The results of the public votes and delegate votes will be announced on August 17 at the Daejeon convention, following the completion of regional primaries.
Yoon Han-hong, a member of the National Assembly from the People Power Party, was questioned for approximately nine hours by the Special Investigation Team regarding allegations of improper selection of unqualified contractors during the relocation of the presidential residence.

On August 1, the team summoned Yoon to their office in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, as a suspect in a case of abuse of power. The questioning took place from 10 a.m. to 7:05 p.m.

Investigators focused on whether Yoon, while serving as the head of the task force for the presidential transition committee in April 2022, was involved in changing the proposed site for the residence from the Army Chief of Staff's residence to the Foreign Minister's residence after a preliminary site visit with Kim Geon-hee, the spouse of President Yoon Suk-yeol.

They also inquired whether he directed former Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim O-jin to award a contract to the unqualified interior company '21 Grams,' which has ties to Kim Geon-hee.
As military tensions between the United States and Iran continue, armed attacks and explosions targeting oil tankers have occurred in the Hormuz Strait, a critical global oil transport route.

According to Reuters, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported on August 1 that a tanker sailing about 20 kilometers northeast of Oman was struck by an unidentified projectile.

The attack severely damaged the vessel's engine room, rendering it unable to operate. While there were no reported casualties, a separate underwater explosion was reported shortly after, 39 kilometers northeast of Khasab, Oman, raising concerns about maritime security.

The incidents occurred in a key passage connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Since a military conflict erupted between the U.S. and Israel in February, Iran has claimed control over the strait and has conducted mine-laying and missile attacks against commercial vessels that do not comply with its directives.
Kwon Young-jin, a member of the People Power Party, has stated that he will not voluntarily resign amid controversy over a physical altercation with party leader Jeong Jeong-sik regarding committee assignments.

On August 1, Kwon reportedly sent a message to fellow party members expressing his position.

Kwon had previously caused a stir on July 23 when he confronted Jeong in the party's office, expressing his dissatisfaction after being assigned as the secretary of the Administrative Safety Committee against his wishes. He allegedly used abusive language and grabbed Jeong by the collar.

Following this incident, the party's leadership suggested Kwon resign on July 27, warning that disciplinary procedures would be initiated through the Central Ethics Committee if he did not comply. After Kwon showed no intention of resigning, the ethics committee began disciplinary proceedings against him on the same day.



* This article has been translated by AI.

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