Democratic Party Kicks Off Regional Primary in Chungnam... Candidates Begin Full-Scale Rivalry

Tensions Run High Among Supporters

The first regional primary for the Democratic Party’s August 17 National Convention was held on the 1st in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province. While all candidates for party leader and Supreme Council members voiced unified support for the “success of the Lee Jaemyung administration” and victory in the general elections, there was heated debate regarding the direction for party operations and the question of leadership accountability.

Han Byungdo, Acting Party Leader and Floor Leader of the Democratic Party, along with candidates for the party leader and Supreme Council members for the Democratic Party's August 17th National Convention, attended the regional primary held at the Chungnam Transportation Training Center on the 1st and took a group photo. Chungnam – Photo by Moon Hyewon

At the joint speech session for the election of the party leader and Supreme Council members, held on the morning of the same day at the Chungnam Transportation Training Center, candidate Kim Minseok emphasized “election victory,” candidate Jung Chungrae highlighted “reform,” and candidate Song Younggil focused on “legitimacy.”

Kim stated, “President Lee Jaemyung has declared an irreplaceable Republic of Korea, yet we are wavering at a historic crossroads. If the party-government relationship falters, the elections and even the stock market will tremble.” He continued, “How can the Lee Jaemyung administration’s historic mission to create a golden era be jeopardized after just one year in power? The extension of the ‘Myeongcheong Daejeon’ is hell for the Democratic Party—we must close the gates of hell.”

He also pledged, “After every Cabinet meeting, I will ensure that the party proposes new legislative tasks even before the government, transforming us into a more proactive party.” He promised to broadcast the party’s briefings live as part of his campaign commitments.

Jung cited the abolition of the Prosecutors’ Office and the introduction of the one-person-one-vote system as his achievements. “Within the party, I will achieve unity and unite with the broader progressive democratic bloc,” he said. Jung also promised to protect the party’s membership sovereignty, pledged live broadcasts of parliamentary meetings, and emphasized, “I will run a clean campaign without negative attacks.”

Song directly challenged Jung by saying, “There is no need for the party leader to serve consecutive terms during the Lee Jaemyung administration.” He went on to add, “The person who is truly isolated is President Lee Jaemyung. I will become the party leader who supports the administration’s success.”

The candidates for Supreme Council member widely called for the completion of prosecutorial and media reforms, the empowerment of party members’ sovereignty, and continued support for the Lee Jaemyung administration.

Han Minsu stated, “The first, second, and third priority is the success of the Lee Jaemyung administration. If we stop pushing for reform, we will fail. Reforms of the prosecution, judiciary, and the media will continue until the party membership themselves tell us to stop.” He further highlighted, “This National Convention is the first regular convention to implement the one-person-one-vote system. We will complete the party membership sovereignty framework.”

Kim Youngho criticized the former leadership for “operating the party in a closed-off manner,” promising to build a leadership that centers the party. He also pledged to expand the nationwide committee of rights-holding party members and to establish a policy discussion committee for those in their 20s and 30s.

Kim Yong addressed his own legal risks, saying, “I was arrested three times solely because I am an ally of Lee Jaemyung, but the party members saved me.” Choi Minhee asserted, “We have achieved prosecutorial reform for the first time in 70 years; now we must complete media reform as well.”

Park Sunwon claimed, “The coup d’etat is not over. We must root out forces that seek to undermine the Lee Jaemyung administration.” Lim Mi-ae emphasized, “We must make the Democratic Party broader and expand even into Yeongnam.”

Lee Seongyun remarked, “Prosecutorial reform is not yet finished. I will push to abolish the supplementary investigation authority and protect the sovereignty of party members.”

Seo Mihwa, referencing the outcome of the June 3 local elections, took aim at Jung Chungrae, saying, “Under the previous Jung Chungrae leadership, there was no responsible self-examination.” Some supporters responded by shouting, “Do not divide the party!” while supporters of other candidates retorted, “(Jung) should not serve another term as party leader,” causing tensions in the venue to temporarily intensify.

Meanwhile, starting with this joint speech session for the Chungcheong region, the Democratic Party plans to continue holding regional primaries across the nation.

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