Ex-DP leader Jung wins southeastern party-member primary in leadership race

SEOUL, Aug. 2 (Yonhap) -- Jung Chung-rae, a former Democratic Party (DP) leader, emerged victorious in the party-member primary held in the country's southeast on Sunday, despite suffering a narrow defeat to his rival Kim Min-seok in the central region the previous day. The primary vote, conducted among dues-paying party members in Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang Province, saw Jung secure 46.65 percent of the votes, narrowly edging out Kim's 43.85 percent.

Song Young-gil, the third candidate, received 9.5 percent of the votes. This win marks Jung's rebound from his close loss to Kim in the Chungcheong region earlier in the week, where Kim had secured a slight majority. The Democratic Party's leadership race has largely been a contest between Jung, a member of the party's hard-line faction, and Kim, a close ally of President Lee Jae Myung.

The DP is scheduled to convene a national convention on Aug. 17 to elect a new leader, a role that will be crucial in nominating candidates for the upcoming April 2028 parliamentary elections.