Democratic Party, 5 Days Until Party Leader Vote... Final Competition to Capture '45%' Party Support

Online Voting for National Delegates and Party Members Starts on 28-29
General Public Polls Reflect 10%... Party Sentiment 90% Focused
Song Young-gil, Hong Young-pyo, Woo Won-shik Target Party Members in Final Push

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] The vote for the next leader of the Democratic Party of Korea is just 5 days away. The party convention, scheduled for the 2nd of next month, will announce the results by compiling the previously conducted online votes, meaning the time left to sway voters is effectively until early next week. The three candidates for party leader, entering the final campaign phase, are targeting party members who account for 45% of the vote share, highlighting their strengths to win support.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the Democratic Party on the 23rd, this year’s party leader election will be conducted via online and ARS (Automated Response System) voting, considering the COVID-19 situation. Online voting for national delegates and eligible party members will take place from the 28th to the 29th. Delegates and eligible party members who have not voted during this period will be required to vote via 'forced ARS' on the 30th and the 1st of next month. This system involves receiving a call from the party to cast their vote. On the 2nd, during the party convention, voting will be conducted through 'voluntary ARS,' where voters call in themselves, and combined with on-site voting, the results will be announced. It is expected that only about 100 people will attend the on-site voting at the convention, so the outcome will likely be determined before then.

Democratic Party delegates are estimated to number around 10,000, including current and former affiliated lawmakers, city and provincial party chairpersons, party staff, and aides. Their votes account for 45% of the party leader election, making them a key voting bloc. However, their voting preferences are somewhat fixed based on existing relationships, which limits flexibility. Public opinion polls targeting the general public, conducted on the 29th and 30th, will also be reflected in the election but only account for 10%. Ultimately, candidates must focus on courting the 800,000 eligible party members (40%) and general party members (5%), making the competition for party member support crucial.

Among the three candidates, Representative Song Young-gil, who is considered to have a weaker pro-Moon Jae-in faction color, emphasizes his connection to President Moon while also voicing independent opinions on vaccines and real estate policies, highlighting his presence as a five-term lawmaker. On the day, Song appeared on BBS Radio’s 'Park Kyung-soo’s Morning Journal,' stating, "As the general campaign director for Moon Jae-in’s candidacy, I bear political responsibility for the birth of the Moon administration and will ensure a successful conclusion." He also said that if elected party leader, he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss government and vaccine issues.

Representative Hong Young-pyo, regarded as a prominent pro-Moon figure who served as the head of the comprehensive situation room for Moon’s 2012 campaign, is targeting hardline party members by emphasizing 'regime reestablishment.' On the previous day, Hong wrote on Facebook, "I have two dreams: first, that President Moon will be the first president to leave office without a lame-duck period, and second, that after leaving office, President Moon will remain a great tree for the Democratic Party." He has been repeatedly mentioning 'unity' and 'victory.'

In contrast, Representative Woo Won-shik is expanding his support base by appealing to both the broad pro-Moon faction within the party and moderates. Fitting the role of 'party leader,' he avoids excessive pledges and aims to embrace party members fatigued by hardline pro-Moon stances. He stated that innovation ultimately comes from 'people’s livelihood,' and plans to complete a dual leadership with 'Reform = Yoon Ho-jung, Livelihood = Woo Won-shik.' During a joint campaign speech the previous day, Woo emphasized, "We must break through head-on with people’s livelihood to revive party members’ pride," adding, "Unity and innovation for regime reestablishment also lie in people’s livelihood, and the field holds the answers."