Kim Min-seok to Announce Bid for Party Leadership Tomorrow

[Anchor]

Former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok will officially announce his candidacy for the Democratic Party leadership in Gwangju tomorrow, July 6. This comes just six days after his return to the party. Other potential candidates, including former party leader Jung Chung-rae and Representative Song Young-gil, are also accelerating their preparations.

Reporter Kim Kwan-jin has the story.

[Reporter]

Former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok has chosen Gwangju, often referred to as the heart of the Democratic Party, as the site for his leadership bid announcement.

Kim is scheduled to pay his respects at the May 18th National Cemetery tomorrow morning before officially declaring his candidacy for the party leadership race at the Jeonil Building 245 in Gwangju.

The Jeonil Building still bears bullet marks from helicopter gunfire by martial law troops during the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement.

As the first Prime Minister under the Lee Jae-myung administration, Kim positions himself as the right person to ensure unity and communication between the party and the government. He is expected to emphasize the importance of national stability in his announcement tomorrow.

[Kim Min-seok/Former Prime Minister (Day before yesterday, Democratic Party lawmakers' workshop): The direction of practical integration under the Lee Jae-myung administration aligns with the direction of practical integration that I am advocating.]

The movements of his competitors for the party leadership are also gaining momentum.

Former party leader Jung Chung-rae, who has made frequent visits to the Honam region recently, visited the birthplace of former President Kim Dae-jung yesterday and paid his respects at the grave of former President Roh Moo-hyun today. These actions are interpreted as an effort to highlight himself as the person responsible for carrying on the roots and legitimacy of the Democratic Party.

Jung also wrote on social media, "Who took the lead in the one-person, one-vote system? Who took the lead in the full abolition of the prosecution's supplementary investigation rights?" This is seen as an attempt to emphasize his clarity and leadership in driving reform tasks.

Representative Song Young-gil, who has publicly criticized Jung, is reportedly deliberating on the timing of his own announcement to run for party leader.

An aide to Song told SBS, "We plan to set a specific date for his candidacy announcement once the timing of former leader Jung's announcement is confirmed."

The Democratic Party will accept registrations for candidates for party leader and supreme council members for the national convention on August 17, between July 16 and 17.

(Video reporting: Shin Dong-hwan | Video editing: Park Chun-bae)

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