Kim Min-seok, a candidate for leadership in the Democratic Party of Korea's Aug. 17 national convention, said, "If it's a draw (in the second round of the regional primaries), I will ultimately win."
Kim made the remarks in a YouTube interview with Kim Eo-jun on the 6th, referring to this weekend's primary regions of Jeju, Incheon, Gangwon, Daegu, and North Gyeongsang. Earlier, Kim won the Chungcheong region in the first week of the primaries but lost in Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang. In cumulative votes, candidate Jung Chung-rae leads with 45.51% over Kim's 44.52%, a narrow margin.
Kim said, "If it's a draw in the second round, I will clearly win Honam by at least one vote," adding, "In the metropolitan area, that momentum will carry us straight through." Kim also said, "I will exceed 50% (of the vote) overall," and "I expect (my vote share) in Honam to approach or exceed that level as well."
He particularly stressed, "There is a 99.99% chance that the final result will be decided by (the top vote-getter) exceeding 50%, rather than by preferential voting." Regarding the possibility of the outcome being decided by preferential voting, Kim said, "It's a rule we set, so we have no choice but to accept it," adding, "(If a conclusion is reached), we should naturally move toward overall unity."
On the proposal made by some in the pro-Lee (pro-Lee Jae-myung) faction to give non-voters an additional chance to vote after joint speeches, he said, "I understand the intent," but "realistically, it's not easy." He continued, "If I become party leader, I think it would be good to change this system through discussions among party members."
Kim pointed out, "In our current primary, voting ends before the speeches are over." He said, "Those who are going to vote don't listen (to the speeches), those who will vote next time don't listen because it's not their region, and we campaign toward the activists in front of us every day, people we already know among ourselves." Kim added, "In that sense, what's wrong with allowing voting freely during the national convention period? That's a method consistent with party members' sovereignty." However, he said, "(At this point) it's difficult for the party to accept," adding, "I hope we decide, whether through discussions among party members before the next national convention."
Regarding his claim of a "secret three-way alliance of anti-Lee, factionalism, and Shincheonji," he said, "The party said it would sort this out afterward, so there's no need to say more," adding, "There is ample basis to raise the issue." However, when asked whether the remarks targeted candidate Jung, he acknowledged, "There were some expressions that could be misunderstood."
