Neck-and-Neck Supreme Council Race... Fierce Proxy Battle Between Pro-Myung and Pro-Chung Factions

[Anchor]

The race for the Democratic Party's Supreme Council has been just as fierce as the party leader race. A proxy battle between candidates aligned with the pro-Myung and pro-Chung factions has unfolded, with candidate Choi Min-hee reclaiming the number one spot in cumulative vote shares by a razor-thin margin.

Reporter Kim Kwan-jin has the details.

[Reporter]

The results of the primary for the Democratic Party's Supreme Council candidates among rank-and-file party members in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province showed candidates Choi Min-hee, Lee Seong-yun, Han Min-su, Park Sun-won, and Seo Mi-hwa ranking from first to fifth place in that order.

In terms of cumulative vote shares across regions, candidate Choi Min-hee took first place with 16.91%, while candidate Park Sun-won placed second with 16.60%, trailing by a mere 0.3 percentage points.

Until last week, pro-Chung candidate Choi held the cumulative lead, but following the Honam primary yesterday (August 15), pro-Myung candidate Park rose to first place before the standings shifted once again with the Seoul and Gyeonggi results.

The candidate who finishes first in the Supreme Council race gains the political symbolism of becoming the senior supreme council member. Today, candidates Choi and Park clashed during their speeches over the evaluation of the previous Jung Chung-rae leadership.

[Choi Min-hee / Democratic Party Supreme Council Candidate : At some point, we get branded as anti-Myung, labeled as Shincheonji, and mocked for having the IQ of a crucian carp.]

[Park Sun-won / Democratic Party Supreme Council Candidate : Who is making us vulnerable and uneasy? It is none other than the outdated leadership.]

As five candidates will be selected out of the eight runners, the battle for the final fifth spot is also turning into a fierce showdown between the pro-Myung and pro-Chung factions.

The fifth-place race will determine whether the elected Supreme Council lineup ends up with a 3-to-2 ratio favoring the pro-Myung faction or the pro-Chung faction.

Reflecting today's Seoul and Gyeonggi results, the cumulative vote rankings for fourth, fifth, and sixth place are pro-Chung candidate Lee Seong-yun, pro-Chung candidate Han Min-su, and pro-Myung candidate Kim Yong, in that order.

[Kim Yong / Democratic Party Supreme Council Candidate : Following the local elections, the former party leader evading responsibility and engaging in self-serving politics, while capitalizing on division...]

[Lee Seong-yun / Democratic Party Supreme Council Candidate : A party leader who came from a prime ministerial background only acted solemn, serious, and cautious, failing to carry out a single proper reform and ultimately losing power, did they not, everyone?]

The cumulative vote share gap between fourth and sixth place is a mere 0.3 percentage points, and the margin between fifth-place pro-Chung candidate Han and sixth-place pro-Myung candidate Kim is only about 2,000 votes, making tomorrow's public opinion polls and delegate vote results the final variable.

While the new party leader can separately appoint two designated supreme council members, the composition of elected supreme council members carries a different political stature and will significantly influence party operations.

(Camera: Kim Yong-woo | Video Editing: Lee Seung-hee)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.