DP to Hold Party Convention on August 17... Preparatory and Election Committees to Be Formed

"No Separate Deadline for Party Leader's Resignation"

"President Lee Resigned Before the Preparatory Committee Was Formed"

The Democratic Party of Korea has announced that it will hold its regular National Party Convention on August 17, at which a new party leader and leadership will be elected.

On June 8, Cho Seungrae, Secretary General of the Democratic Party, held a press briefing at the National Assembly and stated, "Consensus was reached at the Supreme Council meeting to hold the National Convention on August 17."

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Bae Jaeman = Cho Seungrae, Secretary General of the Democratic Party of Korea (left), is holding a press briefing on party affairs at the National Assembly on June 8. On the right is Senior Spokesman Kang Junhyun. 2026.6.8 Photo by Bae Jaeman (End)

The party plans to finalize related institutional arrangements soon, including amendments to the party constitution and its supplementary provisions necessary for holding the National Convention. Once the preparations are complete and the Convention Preparatory Committee and the Election Commission are formed, the process will move through candidate registration, a preliminary primary, the main primary, and regional primaries, eventually leading to the selection of a new leadership team.

If there are four or more candidates registered for the party leader position, a preliminary primary (cut-off) will be held to determine the final candidates for the main primary.

A total of five Supreme Council members will be elected. The vacant Supreme Council seat left by Assemblywoman Lee Eonju, who resigned from her position on this day, will also be filled at the August convention, rather than through a separate by-election.

In the case of current leader Jeong Cheongrae, who is expected to seek re-election, there is no specific deadline for resignation. Secretary General Cho explained, "There is no resignation deadline stipulated in the party constitution or regulations; there are only precedents. For example, when President Lee Jaemyung was party leader, he resigned in order to run for re-election, and he did so before the convention preparatory committee was formed."

As for the results of the June 3 local elections and by-elections, the party plans to complete the selection of the evaluation committee members by June 10. Secretary General Cho added, "It is important for us to develop alternatives in the course of party management," and stated, "We will engage in sober discussions over the next two months leading up to the convention to create meaningful alternatives."

Secretary General Cho also addressed Kim Youngrok, Governor of South Jeolla Province, who failed to win the nomination in the integrated Gwangju-South Jeolla mayoral primary, criticizing him by saying, "Even though the election is over, he continues to make baseless claims about the party’s nomination process." He continued, "It is possible to make political attacks based on one’s convictions and judgment, but criticizing with fabricated facts is unacceptable. I urge him to stop now."

On the same day, Governor Kim stated on MBC Radio that "the nomination process was opaque and unfair," and said that he would launch a movement opposing Jeong's re-election once his term as governor ends.

In addition, Secretary General Cho commented on the first anniversary press conference for President Lee Jaemyung's inauguration, saying, "I believe the President has gained a thorough understanding of all aspects of state affairs during his tenure," and added, "I assess that over the past year, Korea has recovered and shifted towards growth despite facing various crises."

Regarding the President's expression of regret over the local election results, Secretary General Cho stated, "There are both victories and defeats," and added, "The President said the loss in Seoul was particularly disappointing and regrettable, but I don't think this view is in significant conflict with that of our leadership."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.