[Anchor]

The national convention to elect the new leadership of the Democratic Party has just concluded. Following a fierce race, Candidate Kim Min-seok secured the position of the new Democratic Party leader, taking first place with 54.08% of the vote. We connect with our reporter at the scene.

Reporter Park Yerim, please give us the details of the convention results.

[Reporter]

Yes, I am here at the Daejeon Convention Center, where the Democratic Party national convention has just concluded.

As expected by many, Candidate Kim Min-seok claimed first place with a final vote share of 54.08% and was elected as the new leader of the Democratic Party.

The runner-up, Candidate Jung Chung-rae, received 45.92%, putting the gap between the two candidates at 8.16 percentage points.

The results combined the nationwide party member voting held through yesterday (August 16) with today's delegate voting and public opinion polls. Because Candidate Kim did not secure a majority in the initial count, the final winner was determined based on the preferential voting system introduced at this convention, combining the second-choice votes from supporters of third-place candidate Song Young-gil.

In his acceptance speech, newly elected Party Leader Kim Min-seok emphasized that he will work together with party members without leaving anyone behind, and without discrimination or alienation, to ensure the success of the Lee Jae-myung administration.

Let's listen.

[Kim Min-seok / Newly Elected Democratic Party Leader: The relationship between the party and the presidential office will be a creative, horizontal relationship of total cooperation, supporting the president and the government, which stand at the center of state affairs. We will debate for success, offer candid advice, and serve as a shield...]

With conflicts having escalated during the convention process—including friction between pro-Lee Jae-myung and pro-administration factions, as well as controversies surrounding Shincheonji—healing these divisions and uniting the party are expected to be the first major tasks awaiting Leader Kim.

[Anchor]

The Supreme Council members were also elected today, right?

[Reporter]

Yes, the Supreme Council election, which selected five members, resulted in Choi Min-hee, Park Seon-won, Seo Mi-hwa, Lee Sung-yoon, and Han Min-su taking the first five spots.

Among them, three are from the pro-administration faction—Choi Min-hee, Lee Sung-yoon, and Han Min-su—while two represent the pro-Lee Jae-myung faction, Park Seon-won and Seo Mi-hwa.

Pro-Lee faction candidates Lim Mi-ae and Kim Young-ho withdrew right after yesterday's Seoul-Gyeonggi regional tour primary to declare support for fellow pro-Lee candidate Kim Yong, but Candidate Kim Yong ultimately finished sixth and missed the cut.

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[Anchor]

Let's take a closer look at the results of the Democratic Party convention with political desk reporter Kim Gwan-jin.

Q. What led to the victory of newly elected Party Leader Kim Min-seok?

[Kim Gwan-jin / Reporter: The turning point for the Democratic Party's convention was indeed the Honam primary the day before yesterday. Up until then, it was an ultra-tight race with just a 1% point difference, but Candidate Kim Min-seok secured a majority in Honam, widening the gap to over 14 percentage points and seizing the momentum. The atmosphere was clouded by defeat to the point where even Candidate Jung Chung-rae remarked that Honam's choice is always right. Analysts suggest that party members in Honam, considered the stronghold of the Democratic Party, cast their votes for Candidate Kim's message of ending the factional strife or stabilizing party-administration relations, rather than Candidate Jung's call for a reformist party leader, considering that only one year and two months have passed since the launch of the Lee Jae-myung administration. However, outside of Honam, Candidate Jung performed strongly, and with three pro-administration figures securing seats on the nine-member Supreme Council, projections indicate that the pro-administration faction's influence to keep Leader Kim in check will persist.]

Q. Will the Democratic Party overcome its internal divisions following the convention?

[Kim Gwan-jin / Reporter: Looking back at this August 17 convention, it started with debates over past historical controversies and descended into emotional confrontations featuring harsh expressions such as betrayal and fish-like IQs, raising concerns and criticism that it looked like a convention bent on splitting the party. However, given that Candidate Jung himself asserts that he is pro-Lee and publicly vows that there is no such thing as leaving the party in his dictionary, the possibility of divisions expanding due to post-convention fallout does not appear very high for now. The real issue lies in policy line conflicts. Candidate Kim has placed weight on what is called the New Lee Jae-myung approach of expanding the base to include moderates and some conservative voters, much like President Lee Jae-myung's theory of a structural majority. On the other hand, Candidate Jung has called for the consolidation and integration of reform-progressive forces, including a merger with the Rebuilding Korea Party. These differing paths clashed during this convention, and since neither side secured an overwhelming advantage, the underlying tensions could potentially erupt as the 2028 general elections draw closer.]

Q. Are there possibilities of policy shifts for the Democratic Party after the convention?

[Kim Gwan-jin / Reporter: Many observers predict that the new party leadership will maintain the existing policy direction of the Democratic Party while steering it toward modifying or supplementing policies when necessary. For instance, regarding the government's tax revision plan, newly elected Leader Kim mentioned during the convention that discussions to refine details are necessary, pointing out in particular that the complete abolition of the long-term holding special deduction for non-resident single-home owners is effectively a tax hike. Regarding the revised Criminal Procedure Act, many predict that if problems stemming from the complete abolition of supplementary investigation powers materialize in line with the launch of the Investigation Office and other bodies around October, the Kim Min-seok leadership will be relatively more flexible in discussing revisions or modifications.]

(Video Editing: Lee Seung-jin)