Kim Minseok Achieves Landslide in Democratic Party’s Honam Primary... Chung Says, "I Humbly Accept"

Kim Maintains Lead with Majority in Honam Primary
Song Says, "Although Results Fell Short of Hopes, I Will Give My All to the End"

In the regional primaries held in Gwangju and Jeollanam-do, as well as Jeollabuk-do, ahead of the Democratic Party’s August 17 national convention to elect a new leadership, candidate Kim Minseok achieved a landslide victory, significantly widening the gap with second-place candidate Chung Cheongrae. In response, Chung stated, "The choice of Honam is always right. I humbly respect and accept it."

After the results were announced on the 15th at the Wonkwang University Cultural and Sports Center in Iksan, Jeonbuk Province, Chung spoke to reporters, saying, "For the Democratic Party, Honam is like a mother and father, and the region's decision was surprising," adding, "Honam, the sacred land of democracy, will now serve as an advanced base leading Korea as an AI powerhouse."

(Iksan = Yonhap News) Photo by Hyunwoo Shin - Song Young-gil, Jeong Cheong-rae, and Kim Minseok, candidates for the Democratic Party leader, are attending the joint speech event for Democratic Party leader and Supreme Council candidates held at Wonkwang University Culture and Sports Center in Iksan, Jeonbuk, on August 15, 2026. nowwego@yna.co.kr (End)

When asked about the larger-than-expected margin in the Honam primary, Chung replied, "I never make predictions or analyses. I am always thankful for whatever support is given by the rights party members," and added, "I am grateful even when I receive less support. My gratitude is consistent regardless."

Later, Chung also commented on social media, saying, "I suffered a big defeat in Honam." However, he added, "Regardless of my own results, I will do my utmost for the Democratic Party’s victory and the success of the Lee Jaemyung administration."

Having secured a stable lead with an outright majority, Kim Minseok also posted his thoughts on social media, writing, "The overwhelming support from Honam reflects a longing for democracy and leap-forward growth, and I know it is also encouragement and support for the Lee Jaemyung administration." He added, "I will humbly give my all until the end and devote myself urgently for the success of state affairs."

Song Younggil, currently in third place, wrote on social media, "If you do not give up and do your best to the end, you can bear good fruit," quoting the late former President Kim Daejung. "Although the results fell short of my expectations, I gained something more valuable than votes," he said. He continued, "President Kim Daejung became president in his fourth attempt after failing three times because he never gave up. I will do my best until the very last moment."

As of today, the cumulative vote shares in the Democratic Party’s national convention stand at 52.21% (235,128 votes) for Kim Minseok, 38.14% (171,768 votes) for Chung Cheongrae, and 9.65% (43,464 votes) for Song Younggil. These figures are a simple aggregation of ballots from rights party members and do not reflect regional weighting.

For the Supreme Council member race, Assemblyman Park Sunwon is currently in the lead with a cumulative vote share of 17.70%, ahead of Assemblywoman Choi Minhee at 17.33%. They are followed by Assemblywoman Seo Mihwa, former Deputy Director of the Democracy Research Institute Kim Yong, and Assemblyman Han Minsoo at 15.65%, 13.18%, and 12.70% respectively, rounding out the top five.

Meanwhile, the final results will be announced on the 17th, calculated by combining 70% from the delegates and rights party members' vote with 30% from the public opinion poll.

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