Kim Min-seok Wins Democratic Party Chair in Ranked-Choice Runoff
The former prime minister defeated incumbent chair Jung Chung-rae 54.1 percent to 45.9 percent in the party’s chairmanship election.
Former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok has been elected as the leader of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) in a six-week ranked-choice runoff. The race, which exposed deep divisions within the party, saw Kim receiving 54.08% of the final votes, compared to Jung Chung-rae's 45.92%. This was the first time the DP had used a one-member, one-vote system for the chair position, requiring a candidate to secure more than 50% of the vote to win outright.
The election served as a test of President Lee Jae-myung's control over the DP, with Kim campaigning as a referendum on whether the party would fully back Lee's agenda. The final regional round, held in Gwangju and the Jeolla provinces on August 15, was a decisive victory for Kim, who secured 57.54% of the vote against Jung's 32.65%.
Despite Kim's victory, the new DP leader faces challenges as lawmakers aligned with his defeated rival hold a majority of the elected seats on the Supreme Council.
Written by urgent.news from The Diplomat's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
