Ex-PM Kim leads former DPK leaders in party leadership race: poll

Former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok is currently leading the race for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) presidency, according to a recent poll. Conducted by Realmeter, the survey revealed that 46.8% of respondents favored Kim for the party's next leader, significantly ahead of his rivals. Jung Chung-rae and Song Young-gil followed in second and third place, with 35.2% and 6.5% support, respectively. The remaining 11.5% of respondents either did not favor any candidate or were undecided.

Interestingly, Kim's lead was even more pronounced among dues-paying party members, with 51.8% of them supporting him, compared to 41.1% for Jung and 4.7% for Song. This gap was particularly evident in the DPK's traditional stronghold of the southwestern Honam region, where Kim garnered 57.7% support, while Jung and Song received 28.2% and 6.8%, respectively.

In Seoul, Kim maintained his lead over Jung, with 39.9% of respondents favoring him, compared to 34.5% for Jung. Song's support stood at 5.1% in the capital. The poll was conducted on Sunday and Monday, interviewing 1,053 DPK supporters and party-unaffiliated individuals.