Song Young-gil, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and a candidate for party leader, expressed skepticism about the need to oppose the recently approved preferred voting system. He stated, "President Lee Jae-myung also posted on X (formerly Twitter) that it was something he introduced, so I wonder if there was really a need to oppose it."
During a press briefing at a party meeting on the same day, Song remarked, "The preferred voting system passed as I argued it would."
He added, "If no candidate receives a majority of votes at the convention on August 17, we will have to vote again in a week during the hot weather. It won't be easy to find a time and place for that." He emphasized that if a one-on-one matchup occurs in the runoff, it could lead to intense competition between candidates.
Earlier that day, the Democratic Party's Supreme Council approved the preferred voting system. In response, lawmaker Lee Seong-yun, who opposed the decision, resigned from his position on the council.
The preferred voting system allows voters to list their top three preferred candidates on a single ballot. If a candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes in the first round, they are declared the winner. However, if no candidate achieves a majority, the votes are counted for subsequent choices to determine the winner. Some analysts suggest this method may favor the pro-Lee faction.
In response, former party leader Jung Cheong-rae stated on Facebook that he "accepts it coolly." During the convention process, Song Young-gil and former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, both aligned with the pro-Lee faction, are seen as working to counter Jung.
Meanwhile, the proposal for a youth supreme committee did not pass the Supreme Council. In relation to this, Song stated, "Regardless of the system, if I become party leader, I will appoint two youth members to the supreme committee from the 2030 generation."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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