Kim Young-ho and Lim Mi-ae, who are running for the top 2 spots on the Democratic Party's leadership, have withdrawn from the race. They announced on the 20th that they would support Kim Yong, a lawyer and current party member, saying, "Let's make Kim Yong a top leader."

The vice-chairpersons of the Democratic Party, Kim Young Ho and Im Myeong Ha, withdrew from the positions of top-ranking candidates. They announced on August 16 that they would support Kim Yong for the position of top-ranking candidate. Kim Young Ho posted on Facebook at 9 pm on the same day, stating, "I have withdrawn from the position of top-ranking candidate and support Kim Yong's candidacy."

He explained, "My decision to withdraw is based on the need to ensure the party's victory. The first priority is the victory of our party, not increasing my own vote count." Kim Young Ho emphasized that his withdrawal would strengthen the unity of the party and ensure the Democratic Party's victory with the support of the public.

Im Myeong Ha also posted on Facebook around the same time, saying, "I am withdrawing from the position of top-ranking candidate." She added, "Kim Yong's candidacy for top-ranking candidate is almost certain since Mr. Kim Min Sik's (the party chairman) election is confirmed. Therefore, three top-ranking candidates, Kim Min Sik, Kim Young Ho, and Im Myeong Ha, should closely work together."

She requested that the remaining vice-chairs support Kim Yong, ensure the stable election of Mr. Seo Mi Hwa, and form a core leadership team behind Mr. Kim Min Sik and Mr. Kim Yong. According to the current results of the Democratic Party's national convention primary election, the top five candidates by accumulated votes are Choi Min Hi (16.91%), Park Seon Won (16.60%), Seo Mi Hwa (15.18%), Lee Sung Yong (13.94%), and Han Min Su (13.77%).

The three candidates from the alliance account (Chun Geung-Chun Re) account for more than half, while the two candidates from the friendly (Kun Geung-Chun Re) account for the remaining half. Another candidate from the friendly account, Kim Yong (13.62%), is ranked 6th, 0.15% points behind Han Min Su and 0.32% points behind Lee Sung Yong.

In light of the highly competitive election for the majority of seats, the withdrawal of the two vice-chairs, Im Myeong Ha (6.62%) and Kim Young Ho (3.37%), is seen as a strategic move to strengthen the party's position. The top-ranking candidates' election is conducted through a weighted voting system, but the results collected so far only consider the weighted votes from strategically vulnerable regions such as Daegu, Gyeongbuk, and Gyeongnam.