Democratic Party Announces First Primary Results in Chungcheong Today... Who Will Win the Heart of the Central Region?

Joint Speech Event at Cheongju Gymnasium
Results Announced On-site After Policy Presentations

The first round of the Democratic Party's regional primary to select its presidential candidate is being held on April 19 in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province.

On this day, the Democratic Party will hold a joint speech event at Cheongju Gymnasium in the afternoon, after which it will announce the results of the voting by party members with voting rights (including delegates) in the Chungcheong region, which was conducted over four days starting from April 16. Voting by party members with voting rights will continue until the end of the joint speech event, and the results will be announced on site.

During the joint speech event, primary candidates Lee Jaemyung, Kim Kyungsoo, and Kim Dongyeon will present their policy platforms to win over voters. All three candidates have pledged, as part of their Chungcheong regional promises, to relocate the presidential office to Sejong, among other commitments.

Yonhap News

Former Democratic Party leader Lee Jaemyung proposed the creation of a "high-tech industry belt" encompassing the Chungcheong region, while former South Gyeongsang Governor Kim Kyungsoo presented a plan for five regional mega-city autonomous governments. Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dongyeon emphasized, "If I am inaugurated as president, I can begin working in Sejong from the very next day."

The results of the regional primary votes will be announced starting with the Chungcheong region on this day, followed by the Yeongnam region results on April 20 at the Ulsan Exhibition and Convention Center in Ulju County, Ulsan. The primaries will continue in the Honam region on April 26, and in the Seoul metropolitan area, Gangwon, and Jeju on April 27, in that order.

The Democratic Party's primary is being conducted using a "citizen participation primary" method, which combines "50% voting by party members with voting rights + 50% public opinion poll (targeting Democratic Party supporters and unaffiliated voters)." The final presidential candidate will be determined by combining half of the results from the regional party member vote and half from the public opinion poll conducted from April 21 to 27.