First Meeting of the Democratic Party Convention Preparation Committee... Focus on Amendments to Party Rules and Regulations

Presidential Primary Rules Likely to Be Discussed

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] The Democratic Party of Korea has begun preparations for the August party convention to elect the next party leader. As presidential candidates such as Rep. Lee Nak-yeon and former Rep. Kim Boo-kyum have made their bids for party leadership more visible, the issue of revising the party constitution and regulations has also emerged as a key concern.

Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and national delegates attended the Preparatory Committee Meeting for the National Delegates Conference held at the National Assembly on the 9th, shouting "Fighting" before the meeting began. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

The Democratic Party's National Delegate Convention Preparation Committee (Chairman Ahn Kyu-baek), the working group organizing the August convention, held its first meeting on the morning of the 9th and began discussions to establish rules for electing the leadership. At the meeting, the committee formed seven subcommittees covering areas such as the party constitution and regulations, platform policies, and party affairs development, and appointed subcommittee chairpersons. These groups will decide on the registration schedule for candidates for the next party leader and Supreme Council members, as well as the election methods.

As presidential candidates like Rep. Lee Nak-yeon and former Rep. Kim Boo-kyum have made their bids for party leadership more visible, the issue of revising the party constitution and regulations has become a focal point of interest. Article 25 of the current Democratic Party constitution stipulates that if the party leader runs for president, they must resign from their position one year before the election date. If the current constitution is not amended, a party leader running for president would have to serve only a seven-month term before resigning. It may also become difficult to guarantee the two-year terms of Supreme Council members who work alongside the party leader.

In response, Rep. Kim Doo-kwan of the Democratic Party pointed out on Facebook on the 5th that "it does not seem like a viable option for a presidential candidate to take on a seven-month party leadership term when considering the principles and responsibilities of party management." To prevent such a leadership vacuum, the preparation committee is expected to amend the party constitution and regulations to guarantee the terms of Supreme Council members regardless of the party leader.

The primary election rules related to the presidential election scheduled for March 2022 are also under discussion. The general consensus among party leadership is to finalize the presidential primary rules by March 9, 2021, one year before the presidential election. If a presidential candidate becomes the next party leader, there is a possibility that they will set the primary rules themselves and participate in the election. To prevent controversies over unfairness, the preparation committee plans to finalize the primary rules early.

Democratic Party leader Lee Hae-chan emphasized at the first meeting, "The party convention is the fundamental election for party operation. It is the most important election," adding, "We must unite the will of party members and the party's core issues and elect the key leadership to lead. The responsibility is immense."

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