Kim Min-seok has been elected as the new leader of the Democratic Party. In his acceptance speech, he stated, "I will work for the success of the government led by Lee Jae-myung, and we will establish a creative horizontal relationship that supports the president and the government." This suggests a focus on party unity and strengthening the role of the ruling party.
The Democratic Party held its third national convention on August 17 at the Daejeon Convention Center. This convention was the first to implement a one-person, one-vote system, combining 70% of votes from delegates and party members with 30% from a public opinion poll conducted on August 14-15. Since no candidate received a majority in the first round of voting, a preference voting system was applied.
The preference voting system allocates votes from the third-place candidate to the second-choice candidates predetermined by the voters. Kim received 54.08% of the votes, while his closest rival, Jeong Cheong-rae, garnered 45.92%, resulting in an 8.16 percentage point difference.
In the final round of voting, which was a critical battleground, Kim maintained momentum with 46.66% of the combined votes, while Jeong received 46.28% and Song Young-gil obtained 7.05%. Following victories in both the Honam region and the Seoul-Gyeonggi area, Kim's cumulative vote percentage reached 49.91%, surpassing Jeong's 41.51%. Kim decisively won five out of six rounds in the national tour.
In his acceptance speech, Kim emphasized that the Democratic Party will evolve from a historical and democratic party into one that takes responsibility for the lives of the people. He highlighted the need for a creative horizontal relationship that fully supports the president and the government.
During his policy presentation, he prioritized 'stability in party-government relations,' aiming to solidify these ties based on stable majority support and to realize a 'party of member sovereignty.' He pledged to introduce special investigations into Shincheonji and the Unification Church and to prevent fake party members from interfering in the primaries, stating, "If necessary, we will introduce special investigations into Shincheonji and the Unification Church. We must root out the manipulation of primaries by fake party members to achieve true member sovereignty."
Kim also referred to the party's history and legitimacy, declaring it the only historical party in South Korea. He expressed urgency, saying, "If the Democratic Party, the central locomotive, wavers, the government wavers, and the relationship between the party and the government wavers, we are in a desperate situation." He added that he has campaigned with a sense of urgency, stating, "This is not just my election; I have run with the most urgency of my life." He concluded by asserting that the government and the Democratic Party must usher in a 'K-Golden Age.'
Meanwhile, in the election for the Supreme Council members, Choi Min-hee, Park Sun-won, Seo Mi-hwa, Lee Seong-yun, and Han Min-soo were elected. Choi was elected as the top Supreme Council member with 18.35% of the votes. With the leadership now in place, the Democratic Party will begin its official schedule with a visit to the National Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, on August 18.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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