Candidates vying for leadership positions in the Democratic Party have completed their registration and are ramping up efforts to win public support. Concurrently, a so-called 'war of rules' has emerged over various issues, intensifying factional conflicts.
Former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok will tour the Daejeon area on the 18th before concluding his schedule with a visit to Iksan, Jeonbuk, to attend a memorial concert for Kim Min-ki, who passed away two years ago. Kim Min-ki, born in Iksan in 1951, debuted as a singer in 1971 and is regarded as a master of Korean folk music, known for iconic pro-democracy songs like 'Morning Dew' and 'Evergreen.'
Notably, Kim's Daejeon itinerary is significant as the city will host the party convention on November 17. The convention preparation committee previously announced a schedule that begins in Chungnam, Chungbuk, Daejeon, and Sejong, and concludes in Daejeon after covering Ulsan, Busan, Gyeongnam, Jeju, Incheon, Gangwon, Daegu, Gyeongbuk, Jeonbuk, Jeonnam, Gwangju, Gyeonggi, and Seoul. Analysts interpret Kim's focus on Daejeon as an attempt to gain early momentum in the race.
Representative Song Young-gil is holding town hall meetings in Gyeongnam and Ulsan to enhance communication. Gyeongnam is particularly important as it carries a 5% weighting in the effective voting results for national delegates and party members. The preparation committee has identified Daegu, Gyeongbuk, and Gyeongnam as vulnerable areas. The introduction of a one-person, one-vote system at this convention aims to address concerns that specific regional opinions may be overlooked.
Both Gyeongnam and Ulsan showed strong support for the Democratic Party in the recent local elections. In Gyeongnam, former Provincial Era Committee Chair Kim Kyung-soo narrowly lost to Governor Park Wan-soo, while in Ulsan, Democratic Party member Kim Sang-wook defeated former Mayor Kim Du-gyeom, who ran as a candidate from the People Power Party.
Former party leader Jung Cheong-rae is hosting a party meeting for local delegates in his district of Mapo-gu, Seoul. Key agenda items include the selection of executive committee members and national delegates, emphasizing party member sovereignty. Jung, who introduced the one-person, one-vote system, is promoting a Democratic Party centered on its members.
Additionally, Jung is expected to appeal for support from party members in his district, where he has successfully secured four terms and enjoys strong backing.
Factional tensions continue to simmer ahead of the party convention, particularly between the pro-Lee Jae-myung faction and the pro-Jung Cheong-rae faction. The pro-Lee faction has criticized the failure to implement the Youth Supreme Council system, while the pro-Jung faction has opposed the introduction of the preference voting system. The pro-Lee faction claims that the pro-Jung faction's lack of a clear candidate for the Youth Supreme Council led to their opposition to the system approved by the preparation committee, while the pro-Jung faction argues that the introduction of the preference voting system violates party rules.
The preference voting system allows voters to list their top three preferred candidates on the ballot. If a candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes in the first round, they are declared the winner. If no candidate achieves a majority, subsequent choices are counted to determine the winner. Some analysts suggest this system may favor the pro-Lee faction.
Moreover, the Democratic Party is facing controversy after recognizing the candidacy of Representative Song and former Democratic Research Institute Deputy Director Kim Yong, who is challenging for the Supreme Council position. The party's decision to grant them candidacy exceptions has raised eyebrows, as party rules stipulate that eligibility is limited to party members who joined at least six months prior to the exercise of rights and have paid dues at least six times within the year leading up to that date.
Song, who left the party amid allegations of distributing money envelopes in 2023, was reinstated in February but has not met the six-month requirement. Kim, who was sentenced to prison for receiving money from private developers in the Daejang-dong scandal, reportedly failed to meet the dues payment requirement due to account freezes during his incarceration.
The Democratic Party will begin preliminary elections on the 21st, aiming to narrow down the candidates for party leader to three and for the Supreme Council to eight. Alongside Kim, Song, and Jung, Representative Ko Min-jeong and former Gangjin County Council Chair Kim Bo-mi have declared their candidacies and completed registration.
Representative Ko is intensifying her campaign efforts in Honam, which is expected to play a crucial role in determining the outcome of the party convention. She plans to engage with young people in Muan and then move to Mokpo to rally support.
Identified with the pro-Moon faction, Ko has taken a cautious stance on the abolition of supplementary investigative powers as part of judicial reform, distinguishing herself from Kim, Song, and Jung. She believes that some supplementary investigative powers should remain for exceptional cases, such as sexual violence. Ko has also signed onto a proposed amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act introduced by Representative Hong Gi-won.
Kim Bo-mi, advocating for generational change, suggested a joint debate among the five candidates the previous day. Following the party's decision to maintain the candidacies of Song and Kim, she referenced the failed candidacy of former interim leader Park Ji-hyun on Facebook, stating, 'The principles of the Democratic Party should take precedence over individual circumstances. If the principles applied to youth are to be upheld, they should equally apply to those in their 60s who attended university in the 1980s.' She warned, 'Principles only become meaningful when applied uniformly. If exceptions are made for the privileged while youth are excluded, young people will continue to distance themselves from the Democratic Party.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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