"Nomination Power at Stake"... Supreme Council Race as Fierce as Party Leader Contest [Previewing the Ruling Party National Convention ②]

Influence Over 2028 General Election Nominations
Power Struggle Looms Between Pro-Jeong Chungrae and Pro-Lee Jaemyung Factions

With the National Convention of the Democratic Party of Korea scheduled for August 17, the competition among lawmakers aiming for the next Supreme Council seats has already begun. Contests are expected not only in the party leader race but also in the Supreme Council elections between candidates aligned with the pro-Jeong Chungrae and pro-Lee Jaemyung factions. The calculation is complicated, as the new leadership will have the power to influence the nomination landscape for the 2028 general elections.

The Democratic Party plans to form the National Convention Preparation Committee (NCCC) after holding the Supreme Council meeting on June 24 and the Party Affairs Committee meeting on June 26. Official candidate registration is expected to take place around July 16-17. Potential Supreme Council candidates are likely to formally announce their bids as early as this month.

Those considered likely to work alongside the incumbent leader seeking re-election, Jeong, include Supreme Council member Lee Sungyun, Assemblyman Han Minsu, and Assemblywoman Choi Minhee. Among the pro-Lee Jaemyung camp, Assemblyman Park Sungjoon (serving his second term), as well as first-term lawmakers Park Sunwon, Jeong Jinwook, Lee Geontae, and Jeong Junho, are being mentioned. Kim Yong, the former vice president of the Democratic Research Institute and a close aide to President Lee Jaemyung, is also a possible candidate. Lawmakers with relatively weak factional ties, such as three-term Assemblyman Kim Youngho and two-term Assemblyman Min Byungdeok, are also being discussed. Jeong Mincheol, vice chair of the Democratic Party’s Policy Committee (known as a generational communicator), is reportedly running for a Supreme Council seat as well.

Given the structure of the party leadership, each faction is expected to compete to secure at least three out of the five elected Supreme Council seats. In the previous Supreme Council by-election, four lawmakers—Kang Deukgu, Moon Jeongbok, Lee Geontae, and Lee Sungyun—competed for three seats. As a result, two pro-Jeong Chungrae candidates, Moon and Lee Sungyun, succeeded in joining the leadership, while only Kang from the pro-Lee Jaemyung camp survived. Even if a faction wins the party leader race, it will be difficult to establish strong leadership if the opposing camp secures a majority on the Supreme Council.

As there is a preliminary cut-off system, most expect that there will not be any artificial coordination among factions in the early stages. A preliminary election is held if there are four or more candidates for party leader or nine or more for Supreme Council. However, there may be an attempt to balance candidates regionally, considering the preferences of party members. The pro-Lee Jaemyung camp is reportedly struggling to recruit female candidates. The Democratic Party operates a gender quota system, which allows the top-ranked female candidate to join the Supreme Council if there are no women among the top five vote-getters.

There is also a growing sense of concern about internal division. One first-term Democratic Party lawmaker said, "There is a lot I want to say, such as on the one-person-one-vote system and supplementary investigative powers, but I'm holding back because I fear the internal strife may intensify. I can't say anything as it could add fuel to the fire. Everyone is being very cautious." Another first-term lawmaker said in a phone call, "Instead of showing a divided party in the government’s second year, we should compete on reform tasks and plans for the Lee Jaemyung administration."

Political commentator Lee Jonghun commented, "While there is interest in whether the pro-Jeong Chungrae or pro-Lee Jaemyung camp will have more seats on the Supreme Council, the real key is who becomes the party leader."

Editor's NoteThe Democratic Party’s National Convention on August 17 will be a decisive event not only for the ruling party’s candidate nominations in the 23rd general election in 2028, but also for control over the next power struggle. It is also expected to impact the direction and pace of reforms under the Lee Jaemyung administration. As the race for the national convention begins, we will examine the key candidates and variables in three parts. <Editor's Note>

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