Close race for Democratic Party leadership as Kim and Jeong split early primaries

The race for the leadership of South Korea's Democratic Party has kicked off with a nail-biting contest between candidates Kim Min-seok and Jeong Cheong-rae. The initial weekend primaries revealed a tight battle, with Kim securing victory in the Chungcheong region and Jeong triumphing in the Bu-Ul-Gyeong (Busan, Ulsan, Gyeongnam) area.The close results set the stage for an unpredictable race. In the Chungcheong primary on Saturday, Kim edged out Jeong by a mere 303 votes, or 0.45 percentage points. However, Jeong retaliated the following day, defeating Kim by 1,514 votes, or 2.8 percentage points, in the Bu-Ul-Gyeong region, halting Kim's winning streak. The combined vote difference between the two candidates across these two regions stands at just 1,200 votes.Officials from Jeong's campaign attributed his Bu-Ul-Gyeong win to a higher interest in the "Roh Moo-hyun spirit" in Busan and a strengthened message emphasizing his reformist stance. They also noted a higher voter turnout compared to the Chungcheong region. Kim's camp, meanwhile, viewed their performance in Jeong's stronger regions as a significant achievement, suggesting they had weathered the initial difficult phase of the competition.The candidates have also traded barbs, with Jeong Cheong-rae directly referencing Kim Min-seok's past defection from the party to join a rival faction in 2002. Jeong invoked the late former President Roh Moo-hyun's emphasis on loyalty, questioning Kim's past actions. Kim responded by highlighting his reconciliation with Roh and framing himself as a returning son of the party. He also criticized Jeong's perceived lack of consistent adherence to party principles.

“

I am very grateful to the members of the Bu-Ul-Gyeong who made this comeback victory possible. I am truly thankful that the descendants of Noh Moo-hyun and Moon Jae-in have taken my hand in the place where their spirit resides.