Kim Min-seok, a candidate for the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea, won in Chungcheong, the first stop on the party's regional primary circuit, seizing the early initiative. His victory over his main rival, Jung Chung-rae, in the first primary is seen as laying the groundwork to solidify his front-runner status.
The Democratic Party's Central Election Management Committee announced the results of the vote by dues-paying members in the Chungcheong region, including Daejeon, Sejong, South Chungcheong, and North Chungcheong, on the 1st. In the vote, conducted online on the 28th and 29th of last month and via automated response system (ARS) on the 30th and 31st, Kim received 30,632 votes (45.06%), ranking first among the party leadership candidates. Jung followed with 30,329 votes (44.61%) and Song Young-gil with 7,027 votes (10.34%), taking second and third place, respectively.
After the ballot counting concluded that day, Kim met with reporters and said, "The first primary region was not an easy area, so I anticipated many difficulties, but I am grateful for the support that exceeded my expectations." He added, "I accept this as a result reflecting the change, innovation, and expectations and demands of the people and members that appear commonly even in the Chungcheong region, and I feel a heavy sense of responsibility."
With his narrow victory in Chungcheong, considered a relatively unfavorable region for him, Kim is expected to gain momentum in the upcoming regional primaries. Jung, who is seeking reelection, had expected an advantage in the Chungcheong region, which includes his hometown of Geumsan in South Chungcheong, and was thus left with an unexpected result.
Jung said, "As I have come this far by trusting the members, I will continue to do my best to the end, believing only in the party's will and the people's will." He expressed his expectations, saying, "Considering that they beat and attacked me two-to-one, three-to-one, four-to-one, isn't this a very good result? I believe the members will protect and defend me."
In the supreme council member primary, in which eight candidates ran, Choi Min-hee, a candidate aligned with the pro-Jung Chung-rae faction, took first place with 30,384 votes (22.35%). She was followed by Park Sun-won with 22,721 votes (16.71%), Han Min-soo with 19,222 votes (14.14%), Seo Mi-hwa with 18,517 votes (13.62%), Kim Yong with 17,045 votes (12.54%), Lee Sung-yoon with 14,838 votes (10.91%), Lim Mi-ae with 8,226 votes (6.05%), and Kim Young-ho with 5,023 votes (3.69%).
Considering that five supreme council members are to be elected, the competition for winnable positions between candidates from the pro-Lee Jae-myung faction and the pro-Jung faction is fierce. Three candidates classified as pro-Lee — Park Sun-won, Seo Mi-hwa, and Kim Yong — are positioned in the upper ranks, while in the pro-Jung faction, Choi Min-hee and Han Min-soo ranked first and third, respectively. So far, the pro-Lee faction appears to be somewhat ahead in the winnable range, but the factional makeup could change depending on the results of the upcoming regional primaries.
Beginning with Chungcheong that day, the Democratic Party will continue its regional primaries in the following order: Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang on the 2nd; Jeju and Incheon on the 8th; Daegu, North Gyeongsang, and Gangwon on the 9th; the Honam region on the 15th; and Gyeonggi and Seoul on the 16th.
The final winner will be decided at the national convention on the 17th. The election of the party leader and supreme council members reflects 70% from votes by dues-paying members and delegates and 30% from a general public opinion poll. A one-person, one-vote system, which weights the votes of delegates and dues-paying members equally, is being introduced for the first time, and a 5% weighting is applied to the delegate and dues-paying member votes in the strategic regions of Daegu, North Gyeongsang, and South Gyeongsang. The general public opinion poll will be conducted via ARS on the 14th and 15th of this month.
In particular, the ranked-choice voting system, introduced for the first time in this leadership election, is cited as a key variable. If no candidate wins a majority in the first round, the lowest-ranked candidate is eliminated, and the second-choice votes of that candidate's supporters are redistributed to the higher-ranked candidates.
