Seoul: The ruling Democratic Party (DP) has announced plans to elect a new floor leader following the resignation of Rep. Kim Byung-kee. The leadership election comes in the wake of allegations of misconduct against Kim.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the election process involves an online vote among general party members with voting rights, which began the previous day. This online vote is set to conclude at 4 p.m., followed by a separate vote among DP representatives in the afternoon. The election aims to select a new floor leader from among four candidates: Reps. Han Byung-do, Jin Sung-joon, Park Jeung, and Back Hye-ryun, all of whom are serving their third terms. If no candidate secures a majority, a runoff vote will be conducted later in the day to finalize the decision. The elected floor leader will complete the remainder of Kim's term, which ends in May.

Rep. Kim stepped down from his position last month amidst ongoing allegations, including claims of preferential treatment and abuse of power, which are currently under police investigation. In addition to the floor leader election, the DP plans to hold a vote on Sunday to elect three new members to its supreme council. These positions became vacant after previous members resigned to participate in upcoming regional elections in June. Among the contenders for the council seats are two-term Reps. Moon Jeong-bog and Kang Deuk-gu.