Honam West also 'Myeongsim'... Kim Min-seok ranks first in the highest committee election, surpassing Jeong Bong-ju

Lee Jae-myung "Kim Min-seok, why are the votes so low?"
The 'Jeong Bong-ju whirlwind' calms down... Honam vote share in the 10% range

In the primary election to select the next leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea, the so-called 'Myeongsim,' which reflects the intentions of party representative candidate Lee Jae-myung, is at play. Candidate Kim Min-seok, with the support of Lee Jae-myung, overtook candidate Jeong Bong-ju, who was creating an 'outside-the-parliamentary storm,' to take first place. Kim Min-seok's vote share continues to rise, and he is expected to secure the position of senior supreme council member, which is awarded to the first-place winner in the primary.

Democratic Party of Korea Supreme Council Member candidate Kim Min-seok is speaking at the Democratic Party of Korea Supreme Council Member candidates' broadcast debate held on the 25th of last month at the National Assembly Library auditorium in Yeouido, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

According to the Democratic Party, on the 4th in Gwangju and Jeonnam, Kim's cumulative vote share rose to 17.58%, placing him first. Jeong Bong-ju followed with 15.61%, dropping to second place. In the regional primaries held on the 20th of last month in Jeju and Incheon, Jeong Bong-ju and Kim Min-seok had cumulative vote shares of 21.98% and 12.27%, respectively, showing nearly a 10 percentage point gap. However, after the Chungbuk primary on the 28th of last month, their cumulative vote shares narrowed to 19.03% and 17.16%, respectively, within 2 percentage points.

Kim Min-seok's vote share has been on the rise as the primary progresses. His vote shares were recorded as follows: Jeju 13.18%, Incheon 12.21%, Gangwon 12.48%, Gyeongbuk 12.42%, Daegu 13.37%, Ulsan 20.05%, Busan 21.51%, Gyeongnam 19.75%, Chungnam 20.62%, Chungbuk 20.76%, Jeonbuk 19%, Gwangju 17.42%, and Jeonnam 17.38%.

On the other hand, Jeong Bong-ju's vote share has fallen from the 20% range to the low teens. His vote shares were: Jeju 19.06%, Incheon 23.05%, Gangwon 20.33%, Gyeongbuk 21.32%, Daegu 22.2%, Ulsan 16.1%, Busan 17.63%, Gyeongnam 16.99%, Chungnam 16.94%, Chungbuk 17.05%, Jeonbuk 13.25%, Gwangju 11.58%, and Jeonnam 12.12%.

It is interpreted that Kim Min-seok reclaimed first place in the supreme council member primary with the support of Lee Jae-myung. When Kim Min-seok placed third with 12.47% in the first primary on the 20th of last month, Lee Jae-myung said at a meeting with supporters, "Why are Kim Min-seok's votes so low?" Lee also mentioned on his YouTube broadcast that he called Kim Min-seok by car and said, "It seems like you couldn't campaign for yourself because you were helping my (party representative) election." Kim Min-seok acknowledged Lee Jae-myung's help on the CBS radio program 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 30th of last month, saying, "(Lee Jae-myung's remarks) definitely became a turning point of interest."

Jeong Bong-ju appears to be effectively giving up on the senior supreme council member position. Although he initially took first place in the primary based on popularity and clarity, including appearances on the podcast 'I Am a Trickster,' his outside-the-parliamentary momentum is gradually weakening. As the primary progresses, his past disqualification in the 22nd general election due to moral issues, such as the 'DMZ landmine slander controversy,' continues to be mentioned. On the 2nd, Jeong Bong-ju stated on his Facebook, "I told (Kim Min-seok) not to chase me bit by bit but to overturn it completely," adding, "The ranking doesn't matter, but I must become a supreme council member."

The Democratic Party's national convention will be held on the 10th in Gyeonggi, the 11th in Daejeon and Sejong, and on the 17th in Seoul. On the 18th, at the nationwide convention, one party representative and five supreme council members will be finalized.