Democrats to Announce Final Primary Rules on 12th... Emphasis on '50% Party Members, 50% Polls'

Yonhap News

The Democratic Party of Korea announced on the 12th that it will enter the final procedure for the primary election rules. There is speculation that the party is leaning towards selecting the presidential candidate by combining votes from party members with a public opinion poll of the general population.

The Democratic Party of Korea's Special Committee for Presidential Election Rules held a meeting on the 11th and reached a consensus on the 'National Participation Primary' method, which selects the candidate with 50% weight given to party members' votes and 50% to the general public opinion poll.

The anti-Lee Jae-myung faction argued for a fully open primary system that does not distinguish between party members and the general public, citing that Lee Jae-myung, the preliminary candidate, had controlled the party leadership during his tenure as party leader. However, concerns that increasing the general public's share could limit party members' rights and cause adverse selection were reflected in the decision.

Since amendments to the special party rules are necessary, the committee plans to meet with Secretary-General Kim Yoon-duk in the evening to discuss, and then prepare the final draft through a party member forum and a caucus meeting on the 12th. The final draft will be confirmed after approval by the Party Affairs Committee and the Central Committee.