Democratic Party debates eligibility of Song Young-gil, Kim Yong for leadership race

The Democratic Party's top leadership convened late into the night to debate the eligibility of two prominent figures, Song Young-gil and Kim Yong, for the upcoming party leadership election. The core of the debate centers on whether they meet the party's bylaws regarding the duration of membership and dues payments required to hold elected positions.

Song Young-gil, a former party leader, rejoined the party on February 27 after a period of suspension related to a bribery scandal. His re-entry falls just short of the six-month membership requirement for candidates. Meanwhile, Kim Yong, a former deputy director of the Democratic Research Institute, reportedly failed to meet the dues payment criteria due to his bank accounts being frozen during an investigation into alleged illegal campaign funds.

The party's regulations stipulate that candidates for party positions must be "rights members," defined as those who joined at least six months prior to the election date and have paid dues for at least six months in the preceding year. However, the bylaws also allow the party's standing committee to set different eligibility criteria.

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We can consider it 100 times if it were before the candidate registration period, but it's not possible after the registration has started.

During the late-night meeting, factions within the party showed divided opinions. Some, aligned with the "pro-Chung Rae-keun" faction, opposed making exceptions for Song and Kim, arguing that their applications were submitted after the registration period opened. Others, including Supreme Council members Kang Deuk-gu and Hwang Myung-sun, argued for an exception, citing their past "imprisonment" or legal troubles as reasons to consider them.

If the Supreme Council rejects the exception for Song and Kim on July 18, their path to running for party leader or supreme council member will be blocked. The party's senior spokesperson, Kang Joon-hyun, stated that the July 16 meeting was for sharing information, and a final decision would be made after receiving a report from the election management committee during the July 17 Supreme Council meeting.

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It was not a meeting to make a decision. It was a meeting to share the situation.