국민여론도 박빙…‘정권 안정론’ 택한 호남이 승부처였다

The recent Democratic Party's central committee election saw Kim Min-seok, the incoming party chairman, emerging victorious with a commanding 66.69% of the vote from deputies' ballots. His triumph was rooted in the strong support from the western region (호남) and the broader electorate, with voters expressing their preference through a "one person, one vote" system.

Previously, deputy candidates received 17 times the voting power of regular party members, but in this election, the votes of 1,677 deputies and 152,726 regular party members were given equivalent weight. Kim Min-seok secured 66.69% of the deputy votes, while the regular party members' votes were divided between him and the incumbent candidate, Won-Jong Jung, with 46.53% and 46.02% respectively.

The decisive factor was the nationwide support from the western region, which outweighed the divide in support between the western region and the rest of the country. Kim Min-seok's victory was further solidified by his 50.08% approval rate from the final vote tally, surpassing the 50% threshold but falling short of a majority. This result was attributed to the strategic decisions of Western region voters, the strong backing of current lawmakers and President Lee's public support, and the decisive role played by 호남 voters in the election.