Daejeon: Former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok has been elected as the new leader of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), taking charge as the party aims to further President Lee Jae Myung's legislative goals and gear up for the 2028 parliamentary elections. Kim secured 54.08 percent of the votes, outpacing Rep. Jung Chung-rae, who was vying for a consecutive term, during the party's national convention in Daejeon. Jung obtained 45.92 percent of the votes.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim emphasized the party's commitment to supporting President Lee Jae Myung and his administration in his acceptance speech. He described the relationship between the party and the presidential office as a "creative horizontal partnership" grounded in cooperation and support for the president and government. Kim also promised significant transformations in the party's language, policies, attitude, and culture.
Kim, a prominent political ally of President Lee, resigned from his position as prime minister earlier this year to participate in the leadership contest. His election is anticipated to solidify Lee's influence over the Democratic Party, as Kim pledged during his campaign to ensure "complete alignment" between the party and the presidential office.
The election utilized the party's newly implemented ranked choice voting system, where voters rank candidates by preference. None of the three candidates acquired a majority in the initial round, leading to the elimination of former DP leader Song Young-gil, who finished third.
Additionally, the party elected five new supreme council members: Reps. Choi Min-hee, Lee Sung-yoon, Han Min-soo, Park Sun-won, and Seo Mi-hwa. The council, comprising nine members, includes the party chairman, floor leader, and two members appointed by the party leader.
This election marked the first DP leadership contest under a one-person, one-vote system, with votes from party delegates and dues-paying members making up 70 percent of the final outcome, and votes from the general public accounting for the remaining 30 percent. Kim was expected to win following his lead over Jung in regional primaries among dues-paying members, particularly bolstered by his victory in the Honam region.
Jung, perceived as a party hard-liner, faced criticism from pro-Lee members who contended that he prioritized appealing to hard-line supporters over collaborating with the president on pivotal issues. He also encountered internal party criticism after the June 3 local elections, where the DP won 12 of 16 mayoral and gubernatorial seats but lost critical battlegrounds, including the Seoul mayoral race.
As the new leader, Kim will guide the ruling party into the 2028 parliamentary elections and play a key role in advancing President Lee's legislative agenda. The DP currently holds 161 seats in the 300-member National Assembly, sufficient to pass legislation without opposition support. The 2028 election results could significantly influence President Lee's legislative momentum during the final two years of his term, which concludes in 2030.