Kim Youngho Withdraws from Supreme Council Race: "Delegates, Please Rally Votes for Kim Yong"

Kim Youngho, a candidate for the Supreme Council of the Democratic Party, withdrew from the race on August 16. Kim Youngho announced his endorsement of fellow candidate Kim Yong for the Supreme Council.

Kim Youngho posted on social media on this day, saying, "As of now, I am withdrawing my candidacy for the Supreme Council and endorsing candidate Kim Yong." His statement is a call for delegates, who still have remaining votes, to rally their support behind Kim Yong.

Yonhap News Agency

He continued, "I ask you to give the precious vote you intended for me, Kim Youngho, to candidate number 2, Kim Yong," adding, "I believe this is a time when a decision of 'party first, personal interest later' is needed, because the party’s victory should come before my personal vote count."

Kim Youngho also said, "Even though my challenge for the Supreme Council ends here, I earnestly urge you to make sure candidate Kim Yong—who can work in harmony with President Lee Jaemyung—becomes a Supreme Council member. I sincerely hope that my withdrawal will further strengthen our party’s unity and lay the foundation for the Democratic Party to earn the trust of the people and achieve victory."

Previously, another Democratic Party Supreme Council candidate, Lim Miae, also withdrew from the race and declared her support for Kim Yong. As a result, the election for the Supreme Council—which allows for 5 winners out of 8 candidates—has rapidly shifted to a contest for 5 seats among 6 candidates.

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