Kim Eyes First-Round Majority With "Honam Landslide"... Supreme Council Race Also Upset (Comprehensive)

Kim Leads with 52.21% in Cumulative Party Leadership Vote;
Jung at 32.65%, Song at 9.81%
Supreme Council Race: Park Sunwon, Choi Minhee, Seo Mihwa, Kim Yong, Han Minsu Lead
Jung: "I Will Humbly Accept... Will Do My Utmost for the Success of the Lee Administration"
Kim: "Jeonnam Is My Origin... Mister Saemangeum" — Appeals to Honam

In the Honam region, considered the pivotal battleground of the Democratic Party's August 17 national convention, candidate Kim Minseok scored a landslide victory, solidifying his path toward securing the next party leadership. Without the need for a preferential voting system, it is now highly likely that Kim will win an outright majority in the first round.

The Democratic Party’s Central Election Commission announced on August 15 the results of voting by party members with voting rights in the Honam region (Gwangju and Jeollanam-do, and Jeollabuk-do). Out of a total of 242,089 votes cast, Kim Minseok secured 139,307 votes (57.54%). Jung Chungrae received 79,033 votes (32.65%), followed by Song Younggil with 23,749 votes (9.81%).

(Naju = Yonhap News) Reporter Hyunwoo Shin = Kim Minseok, the Democratic Party's candidate for party leader, is presenting his policy speech at the joint speech meeting of the Democratic Party leader and Supreme Council held on the 15th at the Naju Comprehensive Sports Park Multipurpose Gymnasium in Naju, Gwangju, Jeonnam. 2026.8.15 nowwego@yna.co.kr (End)

Even when all regional primary results counted so far are combined, Kim Minseok maintains a majority. He has accumulated a total of 235,128 votes out of 450,360 cast, yielding a 52.21% share. Jung Chungrae has received 171,768 votes (38.14%) while Song Younggil has garnered 43,464 votes (9.65%). The cumulative vote margin between Kim and Jung now stands at 14.07 percentage points, or 63,360 votes.

By the end of the second week of primaries, the gap between the two main candidates was just 1.48 percentage points (3,086 votes). However, the margin has since widened significantly, and it is now widely believed that Kim has effectively seized control of the convention. Jung would need to beat Kim by at least 20 percentage points in tomorrow’s Seoul metropolitan area primary results to make up the difference.

The supreme council primary also saw a dramatic reversal. Park Sunwon, a member of the pro-Lee Jae-myung faction, overtook Choi Minhee—previously leading as a member of the pro-Jung Chungrae camp—and rose to first place in the cumulative count. Park Sunwon has received a total of 159,462 votes, recording the highest share at 17.70% among the eight supreme council candidates.

Choi Minhee now trails in second place with 156,061 votes (17.33%). Third is Seo Mihwa with 140,978 votes (15.65%), followed by Kim Yong with 118,702 votes (13.18%) and Han Minsu with 114,407 votes (12.70%). Outside the likely winners are Lee Sungyoon with 112,670 votes (12.51%), Lim Mi-ae with 64,582 votes (7.17%), and Kim Youngho with 33,858 votes (3.75%).

Looking ahead, the Supreme Council may likely be composed of three pro-Lee Jae-myung members and two from the pro-Jung Chungrae camp. However, as the difference between first and second place is only 0.37 percentage points and the gaps among the fourth to sixth place candidates remain narrow, the final rankings are expected to fluctuate until the very end.

3 Democratic Party presidential candidates hold joint speech event in Gwangju, Jeonnam
Photo by Yonhap News

◆ Jung: "I Will Humbly Accept... Will Do My Utmost for the Success of the Lee Administration" = On the day’s results, Jung Chungrae stated, “Honam’s choices are always right. I accept and respect them with humility.” After the results were announced, Jung told reporters, “For the Democratic Party, Honam is both a mother and a father figure. I am always grateful for the votes granted by party members with voting rights. Even when given less, I am thankful.”

Jung also posted on social media, “I suffered a massive defeat in Honam,” but added, “No matter my personal outcome, I will do my utmost for the victory of the Democratic Party and the success of the Lee Jae-myung administration.”

Kim Minseok, who achieved a landslide win, stated briefly on social media, “The overwhelming support from Honam reflects a deep yearning for democracy and leapfrog growth, as well as encouragement and support for the Lee Jae-myung government. I will remain humble and do my utmost until the end, dedicating myself with urgency solely for the success of state governance.”

Song Younggil, whose hometown is in the Honam region, commented on his lower-than-expected vote share, saying, “It falls short of what I had hoped for.” He added, “President Kim Dae-jung ran three times and never gave up, finally winning on his fourth try. I will give my best until the last moment.”

(Iksan = Yonhap News) Photo by Hyunwoo Shin = On August 15, 2026, Song Younggil, Chung Cheongrae, and Kim Minseok, candidates for the Democratic Party leader, attended the joint speech event for the Democratic Party leader and Supreme Council candidates held at the Cultural and Sports Center of Wonkwang University in Iksan, Jeonbuk, and took a commemorative photo. nowwego@yna.co.kr (End)

◆ Kim: "Mister Saemangeum"... Appeals to Honam = On this day, the candidates each cast themselves as “sons of Honam” or “Honam's sons-in-law,” appealing to the Democratic stronghold's sentiments. In Gwangju and Jeonnam, Kim Minseok, who took first place, remarked, “I spent three years in prison in Gwangju. Gwangju is my soul and my pride. In Jindo, my maternal great-grandfather built an elementary school, so Jeonnam is my origin.” He continued, “In Iksan, Jeonbuk, I reside. Jeonbuk will be where I spend my later years.”

Kim Minseok also stressed the three mega-projects of the Lee Jae-myung administration, saying, “This is not about pouring resources into Honam, but about reviving Honam, reviving the regions, reviving the Seoul metropolitan area, and advancing the prosperity of the entire Republic of Korea.” He added, “I fully share responsibility for the success of these mega-projects. They were designed together with President Lee Jae-myung. The Honam AI Mega Project is not only Lee Jae-myung’s dream but also mine. It’s the President’s historical gamble, and I will stake everything to ensure its success.”

In Jeonbuk, presenting himself as “Mister Saemangeum,” he pledged to develop new strategies to accelerate the Saemangeum project. He also promised to relocate public financial institutions to transform Jeonju into a financial hub city, and to include Jeonbuk in the second and third waves of mega-projects following the three major mega-projects focused on Gwangju and Jeonnam.

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