Jung Cheong-rae Bids for Majority; Kim Min-seok Appeals for Rejection of 'Anti-Lee' Faction

On July 26, 2026, Jung Cheong-rae, a candidate in the Democratic Party of Korea's leadership election, appealed for organized support with a goal of winning a majority of the vote. Meanwhile, candidate Kim Min-seok urged voters to reject Jung by labeling him as part of the anti-Lee faction. This party convention reflects 70% party member voting and 30% public opinion polls, forming a three-way race with three candidates advancing to the main primary. If no candidate secures a majority in the second round of voting, the winner will be determined by combining the second-choice votes of the third-place candidate with the tallies of the top two candidates.

During the preliminary primary on July 23, three Supreme Council candidates affiliated with the pro-Jung faction all advanced to the main primary without being cut off, confirming Jung's organizational strength. The overall voter turnout for the preliminary primary was 37.44%, with a 88.38% turnout among Central Committee members and 37.42% among regular party members. Based on their analysis of the primary turnout, the campaigns of Kim Min-seok and Song Young-gil have launched efforts to secure second-choice votes.

On July 26, 2026, during a lecture at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Kim Min-seok criticized Jung Cheong-rae, stating that doubting or undermining the reformist nature of President Lee Jae-myung is tantamount to being anti-Lee. Supreme Council candidates Kim Yong, Seo Mi-hwa, Park Sun-won, and Lim Mi-ae accompanied him on his schedule. On the same day, candidate Song Young-gil met with young party members in Jeonju and Jinan, North Jeolla Province. Song posted on social media that the party cannot be entrusted to factions attempting to undermine the President. The schedules of both camps on July 26 illustrated a simultaneous push by the two major factions to appeal to party members while debating the anti-Lee narrative.

At a meeting with Ulsan party members on July 26, 2026, Jung Cheong-rae stated that he has never betrayed the party or defected, and pledged to protect President Lee Jae-myung.

The landscape for the August 17 party convention could shift significantly depending on the results of the first regional primary in the Chungcheong region on the 1st of next month. The outcomes of these regional primaries are expected to act as a key variable in determining the final winner, directly impacting the support gap between candidates and the migration of second-choice votes.