Democratic Party Fails to Reach Conclusion on Preferential Voting System... Plans to Reconvene Supreme Council at Night

Differences Among Supreme Council Members on the Introduction of a Youth Supreme Council Member
Deukgu Kang, Myungseon Hwang: "The Preferential Voting System Should Be Applied"
Seongyun Lee, Jeongbok Moon, Kyuhwan Park: "The Preferential Voting System Does Not Comply with Party Regulations"

The Supreme Council of the Democratic Party of Korea was unable to reach a conclusion regarding the application of the preferential voting system and the introduction of a youth Supreme Council member, both of which were proposed by the Party Convention Preparatory Committee. Byungdo Han, Acting President and Floor Leader of the Democratic Party, plans to convene a Supreme Council meeting at night to make a final decision.

Kang Junhyun, Chief Spokesperson of the Democratic Party, met with reporters after the Supreme Council meeting on July 10 and stated, "We were unable to reach a conclusion on the method of the party convention primary and the method for electing Supreme Council members due to legal interpretations." He added, "Acting President Han decided to reach a conclusion in some form today and will hold a Supreme Council meeting at night to make a decision." When asked by reporters whether a final decision would be made through a vote, Chief Spokesperson Kang responded, "Nothing has been decided yet."

Byungdo Han, Acting President and Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on July 10, 2026. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

The Supreme Council held heated debates on the preferential voting system and the introduction of a youth Supreme Council member. Supreme Council members Myungseon Hwang and Deukgu Kang insisted that the proposals made by the Party Convention Preparatory Committee should be followed. Supreme Council member Hwang stated, "The party's institutions and procedures beginning to operate according to the interests of particular individuals, rather than the will of the members, is exactly what marks the start of the kind of privatization of the party that we must guard against." Supreme Council member Kang emphasized, "There is a precedent for defining the preferential voting system as a method for conducting a runoff vote." Regarding the establishment of a youth Supreme Council member, he added, "The position should not be merely symbolic, but should grant real authority to the youth Supreme Council member."

On the other hand, Supreme Council members Seongyun Lee, Jeongbok Moon, and Kyuhwan Park cited the party constitution and regulations as reasons for opposing the application of the preferential voting system. Supreme Council member Lee stated, "Applying the preferential voting system to the party leader election without amending the current rules does not comply with the party constitution and regulations." Supreme Council member Park said, "The preferential voting system is not a method of runoff voting, but an entirely separate voting method," and questioned, "Is the insistence on using the preferential voting system for the nationwide primary because it benefits a particular candidate?" Regarding the introduction of a youth Supreme Council member, Supreme Council member Moon commented, "The registration date is the 16th; will the young party members be able to prepare in time?" and suggested, "There is also the option of making it an appointed position."

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