Former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok has taken the helm of South Korea's ruling party
Kim Min-seok, a four-term lawmaker and former prime minister, won the election for chairperson of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea on August 17. The vote took place at the party’s national convention in Daejeon, according to the Korea Herald.
Kim Min-seok received 54.08% of the total votes, beating former party chairman Jeong Cheon-rae, who received 45.92%. The result was determined using a ranked-choice voting system: the tally included second-choice votes from the ballots of supporters of the eliminated candidate, Song Yeon-gil, whom the publication describes as an ally of Kim.
Kim Min-seok’s two-year term as party chairman took effect with his victory. If he does not step down before the end of his term, he will play a leading role in the party’s campaign ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for 2028.
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The voting results were determined by the votes of more than 1.52 million dues-paying party members, with a turnout of 50.35% among them. The results also took into account the votes of more than 17,000 delegates, with a turnout of 80.98%, as well as the results of a public opinion poll.
According to the Korea Herald, Kim Min-sok’s victory is likely to strengthen the position of President Lee Jae-myung’s supporters in the party’s nine-member Supreme Council. The council consists of the party chair, the leader of the parliamentary caucus, five elected members, and two members appointed by the chair.
In the Supreme Council election, Choi Min-hee, an ally of Jeong Cheon-rae, received the most votes—18.35%. Han Min-soo, Lee Seong-yoon, Park Seong-won, and Seo Mi-hwa also secured seats. After the results were announced, Jeong Cheon-rae apologized to his supporters for the defeat.
