DPK to Raise Dues-Paying Members' Voting Share from 25% to 35% in Party Leader Preliminary Primary

Jung Chungrae: "One Person, One Vote for Dues-Paying Members Reflects Constitutional Principles"

The Democratic Party of Korea is moving to increase the proportion of voting rights held by dues-paying members in the preliminary primary for electing the party leader. The plan involves lowering the proportion of votes reflected by the Central Committee from the current 50% to 35%, while raising the proportion of valid votes reflected by dues-paying members from 25% to 35% in the preliminary primary for party leader selection.

Jeong Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 21st. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Cho Seungrae, Secretary-General of the Democratic Party, announced this during a briefing on agenda items for the Party Executive Committee on the 21st.

The Democratic Party is also pushing to revise its party constitution to introduce a "one person, one vote" system, granting equal voting rights to both delegates and dues-paying members. Additionally, the party plans to allow all major party affairs and policy matters to be decided by a vote of all party members.

However, in response to concerns that representation for labor groups and underrepresented regions could be diminished, the party will add a provision to explicitly guarantee labor representation, and specify that at least 10% of members from strategic regions must be included when forming each level of the Central Party's committees.

Secretary-General Cho explained, "Even if the one person, one vote system is introduced, the delegate system will not be abolished, and national delegates will continue to exist as a representative body."