Democratic Party Convention Lineup Set: Candidates Campaign in Honam, Yeongnam, and Daejeon

[Anchor]

The preliminary primary for the Democratic Party's leadership election is just three days away. Candidates for the party chair visited Daejeon, the Yeongnam region, and the Honam region, each presenting their own strategies for differentiation, such as leadership replacement or the one-person, one-vote system.

Reporter Park Yerim has the story.

[Reporter]

On this first weekend since candidate registration for the Democratic Party convention concluded yesterday (July 17), candidate Kim Min-seok visited Daejeon and raised the issue of responsibility against former party leader Jung Chung-rae, stating, "We stumbled slightly in the June 3 local elections and the by-elections."

He continued to focus on differentiating himself from Jung by proposing an "expansionist route that embraces moderates and conservatives as well."

[Kim Min-seok/Former Prime Minister: Promoting a grand integration means simultaneously pursuing solidarity, integration, and expansion...]

Candidate Song Young-gil, who nearly faced disqualification due to controversy over unpaid party dues, visited Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. He argued, "It makes no sense to say I am unfit to be party leader because of the time I spent fighting the prosecution," and also criticized the "one-person, one-vote system" introduced during Jung's tenure as party leader.

[Song Young-gil/Former Democratic Party Leader: The one-person, one-vote system has some shortcomings when it comes to strategically selecting a candidate with competitiveness for the general election. Don't you agree?]

Candidate Jung Chung-rae visited Gwangju in South Jeolla Province in the morning and his parliamentary district in Mapo, Seoul, in the afternoon. He highlighted the "one-person, one-vote system" he pushed for during his time as leader as a key achievement, focusing his efforts on securing the support of party members.

[Jung Chung-rae/Former Democratic Party Leader: The era of one-person, one-vote was also achieved during my term as party leader, together with our party members. Isn't that something to be proud of?]

Jung posted messages on social media saying, "Everyone I meet these days asks if I'm having a hard time," and "Party members, please protect Jung Chung-rae," which is interpreted as an attempt to consolidate his support base amidst checks from other leadership candidates.

Candidate Ko Min-jung visited Muan in Gwangju, South Jeolla Province, and appealed for support from the youth and other demographics, stating that she would become a bridge connecting the 2030 and 4050 generations.

The Democratic Party will hold a preliminary primary on the 21st to narrow the field from five party leader candidates to three who will advance to the main primary.

Reported by Kim Yong-woo | Video by Lee Seung-jin
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.