Democratic Party approves preferential voting for leader, sparking resignation

South Korea's Democratic Party has approved a significant change to its internal election rules, allowing for preferential and runoff voting in the upcoming race for party leader. The decision by the supreme council aims to clarify the leadership selection process ahead of the third regular national convention.

However, the move has immediately sparked internal dissent. Lee Sung-yoon, a supreme council member associated with the 'pro-Jeong-rae' faction, announced his resignation, stating he could not accept the decision. He declared his inability to continue serving as a supreme council member following the vote.

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We wanted to amend the party rules to minimize controversy regarding the leadership selection.

The rule change was passed via verbal agreement without a formal vote during a closed-door supreme council meeting. According to lawmaker Kang Joon-hyun, the amendment was intended to minimize controversy surrounding the leadership selection process. He explained that the rules now explicitly permit preferential and runoff voting.

Meanwhile, a separate proposal to elect a youth supreme council member as a distinct position among the five elected supreme council members was ultimately rejected after a vote. This indicates a division within the party regarding the structure and representation of its leadership bodies.

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I cannot accept this, and I cannot participate in today's vote. I believe it is difficult to continue as a supreme council member, so I will step down as of today.