Opposition Party's Primary Cutoff Today, Who Will Become the 'Lee Jae-myung Challenger'?

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[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] Amid the solidification of the ‘Lee Jae-myung momentum’ ahead of the August 28 party convention, attention is focused on the two seats that will create a ‘three-way race’ with candidate Lee. In the case of the party leader, the unification of candidates will change depending on who passes the cutoff. The results of the Supreme Council member election will determine whether the leadership is ‘pro-Lee (친명) faction’ or a ‘Lee Jae-myung versus anti-Lee faction’ front. The internal power restructuring that controls the nomination rights for the next general election could fluctuate.

The Democratic Party will select 3 out of 8 preliminary candidates for party leader and 8 out of 17 preliminary candidates for Supreme Council member in the preliminary election held that day. The party leader preliminary election is decided by 30% public opinion poll and 70% central committee voting, while the Supreme Council preliminary election is decided 100% by central committee voting. Since popular support and central committee votes may not necessarily align, the outcome is unpredictable.

In the party leader election, with the ‘Lee Jae-myung momentum’ solidified, attention is focused on the two candidates who will secure the tickets to the final round. Candidates Park Yong-jin and Park Joo-min are expected to receive high scores in the public opinion polls but are evaluated to have weak support among central committee members. Lawmakers Kang Byung-won and Kang Hoon-sik are relying on the central committee, which consists of lawmakers, non-incumbent regional committee heads, local government heads, and chairpersons of city and provincial councils. The two lawmakers are supported by the pro-Moon Jae-in faction and the ‘Better Future’ group, respectively. Additionally, attention is on whether lawmaker Seol Hoon, affiliated with the pro-Lee Nak-yeon faction, and lawmaker Kim Min-seok, belonging to the ’86 group,’ will pass the cutoff.

Lee Jae-myung, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the plenary session held at the National Assembly on the 20th, greeting fellow lawmakers. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

At the photo session event for the Democratic Party presidential candidates held at the National Assembly on the 19th, the attending candidates pledged their efforts for a strong campaign. From the left, candidate number 3 Lee Dong-hak, former Supreme Council member; candidate number 4 Lee Jae-myung, member of the National Assembly; candidate number 5 Kang Hoon-sik, member of the National Assembly; candidate number 6 Kang Byung-won, member of the National Assembly; candidate number 7 Park Joo-min, member of the National Assembly. Candidates Park Yong-jin, Kim Min-seok, and Seol Hoon did not attend the event. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

The Supreme Council member election is also drawing attention. The contest is primarily between the pro-Lee Jae-myung (pro-Lee) faction and the anti-Lee faction. Among the preliminary candidates in the National Assembly, lawmakers Park Chan-dae, Lee Soo-jin, and Jung Chung-rae are considered pro-Lee (new Lee Jae-myung) faction. Candidates with less pronounced pro-Lee colors include Ko Min-jung and Yoon Young-chan, who are reported to have the support of pro-Moon Jae-in and pro-Lee Nak-yeon faction lawmakers, respectively. Lawmaker Song Gap-seok enjoys strong support from Honam region lawmakers. Since 30% of the Supreme Council final election reflects public opinion, the identity of the chief Supreme Council member is expected to be determined depending on who passes the cutoff.

A senior Democratic Party lawmaker said, “Although factional balance is partially predetermined, the majority of central committee members will vote after the cutoff based on which confrontation scenario will help the party convention’s popularity.” Another first-term Democratic Party lawmaker said, “Ultimately, it will be the second vote, not the first, that decides the outcome, and the candidate’s zeitgeist or symbolism will play a crucial role.”

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party will hold a preliminary election convention at 1 p.m. that day at the National Assembly to select the party leader and Supreme Council members. The eight party leader candidates, including Senior Adviser Lee Jae-myung, will each give a 7-minute policy presentation, and the 17 Supreme Council candidates will each give a 5-minute presentation. From 4 p.m., central committee voting will take place. Considering the spread of COVID-19, voting will be conducted online. The announcement of those who pass the preliminary election will be at 6 p.m.

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