‘친청 3·친명 2’ 민주 선출직 최고위원…김민석 리더십 견제

The Democratic Party's 8·17 Central Committee election saw the final approval of three candidates from the 친청 (친정) group and two candidates from the 친명 (친이재명) group. With 친청 candidates gaining a majority, there are concerns that the leadership of incoming party secretary, 김민석, may face challenges. The final voting results announced on the 17th in the DCC Convention Center in Yeosu were as follows: 최민희 (18.35%), 박선원 (17.57%), 서미화 (16.60%), 이성윤 (16.35%), and 한민수 (15.86%). 김용 was the second-placed candidate, receiving 15.26% of the votes and losing by 0.6% points to 한민수.

This election was conducted using a weighted system, combining 70% of member and ruling party votes with 30% of public opinion polls. The four elected 최고위원 are categorized as 친청 (최민희, 서미화, 한민수) and 친명 (박선원, 이성윤). Initially, the ranking of the candidates for top five positions was '친명 3명, 친청 2명' in the early nationwide circuit, but it shifted during the final campaign in the 호남 (South) and 서울·경기 (Seoul & Gyeonggi) regions. 호남 favored 친명 candidates, while 서울·경기 backed 친청 candidates, with 김용 falling to sixth place and being unable to secure a seat.

The party's strategy of "birthday pairing" was shared among the factions to secure a majority of 최고위원 seats. The tension between factions intensified, with 친명 candidates Kim Yumi and Kim Young-ho resigning from their candidate positions after urging support from their supporters. As the election was dominated by party faction rivalries, it was clear that the relationship between the incoming party secretary and 친청 최고위원 would shape future leadership direction.

All five elected 최고위원 are between the ages of 50 and 60, two of whom are women (최민희, 서미화) and one is a visually impaired person. The 최고위원회, the party's highest decision-making body, consists of a total of nine members. The party leader, the 당대표, is elected alongside 원내대표 (deputy leader) and the five 최고위원.