Kim Boo-kyum's Request Ultimately Rejected... Democratic Party Decides to Proceed with Convention as Scheduled on the 29th

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] The Democratic Party of Korea has decided to hold the party convention as scheduled on the 29th. Previously, the request by party leader candidate Kim Boo-kyum to postpone the convention was ultimately rejected.

Jang Cheol-min, spokesperson for the Democratic Party Convention Preparation Committee, stated in a briefing on the 21st, "The committee's resolution is to proceed with the party convention on August 29 as planned."

Spokesperson Jang explained, “Considering that overseas voting excluding party members will begin in just three days on the 24th, and that the online platform has already been fully prepared and used multiple times, changing the convention schedule due to the attendance of party leader candidates on the day could undermine the trust of party members and the public and cause unnecessary confusion.”

The committee decided to reschedule the MBC '100-Minute Debate,' which was canceled the day before, in coordination with the broadcaster. Additionally, the KBS nationwide broadcast debate originally planned for the 27th will be moved up to the 25th and conducted via video conference.

Furthermore, the joint speech event for the metropolitan area on the 22nd will proceed as originally planned at the party headquarters with an online live broadcast. However, candidate Lee Nak-yeon, who is currently self-quarantining as a close contact of a COVID-19 confirmed case, will have a pre-recorded video aired.

Earlier, candidate Kim had effectively requested a postponement of the convention by asking to "halt the election schedule," arguing that all three candidates running for party leader should be given equal opportunities to introduce themselves.

On the same day, Ahn Kyu-baek, chairman of the convention preparation committee, responded to reporters' questions about whether any committee members supported Kim's request for postponement by saying, "While the purpose is legitimate, the procedures and processes must also be reasonable. There are some regrettable aspects," adding, "I believe Kim fully understands the situation."

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