Yeo's 9 Dragon Lineup for Presidential Race Complete, Must Pass First Round on Next Month 11 and Second Round on September 5

On the 11th, 6 candidates shortlisted through preliminary selection
Must exceed 50% in the main selection on September 5
If under 50%, a runoff between 1st and 2nd on the 10th
Final comeback aims intensify 'unification' efforts

[Asia Economy Reporters Koo Chae-eun, Jeon Jin-young] The race to select the Democratic Party's presidential candidate has officially begun. The preliminary primary registration closes on the 30th. There are a total of nine candidates, with the lineup consisting of one strong contender, one medium contender, and seven weaker ones. The key point to watch going forward is not so much the policy battles between candidates but whether there will be a 'unification.' Early on, the three candidates Lee Nak-yeon, Chung Sye-kyun, and Lee Kwang-jae have sparked the possibility of unification. Their goal is a 'last-minute comeback' against the leading candidate, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung.

With all nine candidates completing their preliminary registration by today, the first matchups are set (Lee Jae-myung, Lee Nak-yeon, Chu Mi-ae, Park Yong-jin, Chung Sye-kyun, Choi Moon-soon, Kim Doo-kwan, Lee Kwang-jae, Yang Seung-jo). The first preliminary primary (cutoff) will be held on the 11th of next month, and the second round, requiring a majority vote in the main primary on September 5th, will determine the final candidate.

The biggest variable is the runoff voting system. If no candidate secures a majority in the main primary on September 5th, the top two candidates will face off in a runoff on September 10th. So far, Governor Lee has never lost his position as the frontrunner in polls, but the general consensus is that it is unlikely he will secure a majority in the main primary. Lee has been polling in the 30% range in various surveys. Ultimately, a last-minute turnaround is quite possible depending on alliances and coalitions formed among the candidates ranked 2nd to 6th who pass the first cutoff.

Amid these calculations, discussions about unification among candidates are also becoming active. Earlier, a unification agreement was reached between former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and Congressman Lee Kwang-jae, and former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon also expressed his willingness to actively engage in unification during a radio interview yesterday, drawing attention.

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