Democratic Party's Presidential Hopefuls in Quiet Tension Ahead of Primary Battle

Tensions Rise Over National Participation Primary and Open Primary
Lee Coordinates Timing of Presidential Bid Without Public Schedule

As the Democratic Party of Korea began preparations for the early presidential primary on the 8th, tensions over the primary rules are intensifying. The Democratic Party is considering selecting candidates through a ‘National Participation Primary’ method similar to the previous presidential election. On the other hand, the anti-Lee Jae-myung faction (Bi-Myung) and the Joguk Innovation Party are demanding a ‘Complete National Primary’ (Open Primary) system, making negotiations over the primary rules expected to be difficult.

According to the Democratic Party, the leading presidential candidate, Representative Lee Jae-myung, had no public schedule on the day. It is speculated inside and outside the party that he is coordinating his presidential candidacy schedule. Representative Lee may resign from his party leadership position as early as the 9th and officially declare his presidential bid. If he throws his hat into the presidential race, the party is expected to immediately enter the primary system.

The Democratic Party leadership is highly likely to choose the ‘National Participation Primary’ for the early presidential election, as was done in the 20th presidential candidate primary. According to Article 88 of the party constitution, the selection of presidential candidates is principally based on either a national primary or a national participation primary. The national primary automatically includes delegates and party members with voting rights (members who pay party dues) in the electorate and grants voting rights to the general public who express their intention to participate. The national participation primary involves less than 50% party members with voting rights and more than 50% general public participation in the primary. The Democratic Party adopted the national participation primary in the 20th presidential candidate primary.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is entering the meeting room at the National Assembly on the 4th to announce his position regarding the Constitutional Court's ruling on the dismissal of President Yoon Seok-yeol. 2025.4.4 Photo by Kim Hyun-min

The Bi-Myung faction and the Joguk Innovation Party are leaning toward a unified open primary system. The open primary is a type of intra-party primary where voters can vote without disclosing their party affiliation. Its characteristic is that the right to select the presidential candidate is not limited to party members but is expanded as much as possible to the general public. Given the high intra-party support for the pro-Lee Jae-myung faction, the Bi-Myung faction believes that the open primary can increase support more than the national primary method. Former lawmaker Kim Du-kwan, who declared his presidential candidacy on the 7th, along with Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon and former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, have also expressed their support for the open primary system.

The Democratic Party leadership holds the position that, considering the tight schedule in the special situation of an early presidential election, it is not easy to select candidates through an open primary. A variable is if the Bi-Myung faction raises issues with the primary rules and threatens a ‘primary boycott.’ In this case, not only could the primary fail to attract interest, but public resentment toward the ‘Eodaemyeong’ (Anyway, the president will be Lee Jae-myung) sentiment could increase. It is also expected that the candidacies of former Prime Minister Kim and Governor Kim under the Democratic Party’s primary rules will become clearer.

Since the primary rules have not been finalized, movements among potential presidential candidates are also limited. Former lawmaker Kim Du-kwan, who has already declared his presidential bid, began his full-scale presidential campaign by visiting the National May 18th Democratic Cemetery on the day. Meanwhile, Representative Lee Jun-seok of the Reform New Party visited the Central Election Commission in Gwacheon to register as a preliminary presidential candidate.