[2021 Minju JeonDae] Eldest of the 86 Group and Party Leader After 3 Attempts.. Who Is Song Young-gil? (Comprehensive)

Song Young-gil, member of the Democratic Party of Korea./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] Song Young-gil, a five-term lawmaker (58, Incheon Gyeyang-gu Eul), was elected as the new leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. Leader Song is considered the 'eldest brother' of the party's 86 group and a diplomatic expert. He is also the first party leader to emerge from the student activist group of the 1980s.

On the afternoon of the 2nd, at the emergency party convention held at the Democratic Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, Song was elected party leader with 35.60% of the vote, surpassing candidates Hong Young-pyo (35.01%) and Woo Won-shik (29.38%).

Born in 1963 in Goheung, Jeonnam, the new leader Song graduated from Gwangju Daedong High School and Yonsei University with a degree in Business Administration. After graduating from university, he engaged in labor activism in Incheon for over seven years and passed the 36th bar exam at the age of 31, embarking on a career as a labor and human rights lawyer.

He entered politics in 1999 while active in the Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun) and was recruited by the late former President Kim Dae-jung. In the 2010 local elections, he was elected mayor of Incheon, successfully transforming into an administrator. After losing to former mayor Yoo Jeong-bok in the 2014 local elections, he returned to Yeouido and was consecutively elected in the 20th to 21st general elections.

On the 2nd, Song Young-gil, who was elected as the new leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is waving the party flag. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

In the 19th presidential election, Leader Song joined Moon Jae-in’s campaign and served as the general director of the Central Election Countermeasures Headquarters, playing a leading role in the election and is regarded as a key contributor to President Moon’s victory.

This is his third attempt at party leadership, following challenges in 2016 and 2018. In 2016, he was cut off by one vote in the preliminary round, but in 2018, he surpassed pro-Moon lawmaker Kim Jin-pyo and placed second behind former leader Lee Hae-chan.

He is fluent in four languages?English, Chinese, Russian, and Japanese?and is known to have built a strong diplomatic network with the four major powers surrounding the Korean Peninsula. During the party convention, Song demonstrated his diplomatic capabilities by exploring vaccine cooperation with Konstantin Kosachev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council, and Grigory Karasin, Chairman of the Federation Council’s Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as sending a letter to U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris regarding vaccine supply.

In his acceptance speech after being elected, Leader Song said, “I will communicate with our party’s proud presidential candidates and manage the presidential primary fairly,” adding, “I will embrace Hong Young-pyo’s passion for reform and Woo Won-shik’s dedication to people’s livelihoods to unite the Democratic Party as one team.”

On the 2nd, Song Young-gil, who was elected as the new leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is talking with Yoon Ho-jung, the floor leader. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

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