Kim Min-seok Maintains Narrow Lead in Democratic Party Leadership Race

Former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok has extended his lead in the ruling Democratic Party leadership primary after winning the votes in Gangwon Province and North Gyeongsang Province on Sunday. According to results provided by the party, Kim has garnered 46.01 percent of the total votes so far, while his rival, Rep. Jung Chung-rae, follows with 44.53 percent. Rep. Song Young-gil remains in third place with between 7.06 percent and 9.47 percent of the vote depending on the reporting source.

Kim's current lead follows previous victories in Jeju Island and Incheon. While Kim led in Gangwon and North Gyeongsang, reports indicate that Jung led in Daegu. Under a new rule designed to encourage voting in right-wing strongholds, votes in Daegu, North Gyeongsang, and South Gyeongsang carry an additional 5 percentage points of weight.

The race is now entering its final stages, with the outcome expected to hinge on the remaining regions. Voting will move to the Honam region, including Gwangju and the Jeolla provinces, on August 15, followed by the Greater Seoul area on August 16. These two regions combined are home to over 70 percent of the party's 1.5 million dues paying members. A final televised debate is scheduled for Wednesday.

In addition to the leadership race, eight candidates are competing for four seats on the supreme council. As of Sunday, Reps. Choi Min-hee, Park Sun-won, Han Min-soo, and Seo Mi-hwa hold the top four positions. The final results, combining member votes and opinion polls, will be announced at the national convention on August 17.