Kim Min-seok leads Democratic Party convention race by 1.48% after regional wins

Kim Min-seok has taken the lead in the Democratic Party's national convention race, surpassing Jung Chung-rai by 1.48% in cumulative votes. This shift occurred after Kim secured victories in the latest rounds of voting held in Jeju, Incheon, Gangwon, and Gyeongbuk. Previously, Kim had trailed Jung by a narrow margin of 0.99% after the first weekend of regional contests.

The competition remains intensely close, with the final outcome expected to be determined by the upcoming 순회경선 (regional rounds) in the Honam region (including Jeonnam and Gwangju) on the 15th and the Seoul metropolitan area (including Gyeonggi and Seoul) on the 16th. The current standings show Kim with 46.01% and Jung with 44.53%.

In the most recent regional contest in Gangwon and Daegu-Gyeongbuk (TK), Kim garnered 48.54% of the votes, followed by Jung with 44.40% and Song Young-gil with 7.06%. These results do not yet include the 5% weighting for strategic regions like Gyeongnam and TK, which could still influence the final tally. Song Young-gil currently holds 9.47% of the cumulative votes.