With control over 2028 general election nominations at stake, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and lawmaker Song Young-gil emerge as potential challengers

Democratic Party of Korea leader Jung Chung-rae, floor leader Han Byung-do and other party leadership watch a live broadcast of President Lee Jae Myung's first-anniversary press conference at the National Assembly on Monday. [Yonhap]
Democratic Party of Korea leader Jung Chung-rae, floor leader Han Byung-do and other party leadership watch a live broadcast of President Lee Jae Myung's first-anniversary press conference at the National Assembly on Monday. [Yonhap]

The Democratic Party of Korea is set to hold its national convention on Aug. 17 to elect a new party leader and five supreme council members. Jung Chung-rae is widely expected to seek a second term, with Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and lawmaker Song Young-gil among those mentioned as potential rivals.

According to political sources Tuesday, Jung is expected to resign around the time the convention preparatory committee is formed — anticipated next week — before formally launching his reelection bid. President Lee Jae Myung followed the same playbook during his own tenure as party leader, stepping down just before the preparatory committee convened ahead of his reelection run.

Analysts say Jung's prospects have grown somewhat uncertain following the party's loss in the Seoul mayoral race. Rep. Lee Un-ju, who has long aligned herself with the pro-Lee Jae Myung faction, resigned from the supreme council Monday, saying the leadership "failed to present a strategy in tune with public sentiment and instead relied solely on the president's approval ratings." South Jeolla Province Gov. Kim Young-rok, eliminated in the local election primary, also announced plans to campaign against Jung's reelection, declaring that "the Jung Chung-rae era is over."

Allies of Jung pushed back. Party Secretary-General Jo Seung-rae said on MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Morning Focus" that day that opinions differ on whether the results amounted to "a crushing defeat serious enough to warrant the party leader's resignation." He added that the convention process itself would serve as an opportunity to assess the party's performance in both the local elections and the National Assembly by-elections. Rep. Choi Min-hee and Supreme Council member Lee Sung-yoon separately criticized Rep. Lee Un-ju and Rep. Song Young-gil, urging them not to destabilize the party leadership.

The convention is shaping up as a fierce contest, with the June 3 local election results fueling a factional divide — pro-Jung versus pro-Lee, or pro-Jung versus anti-Jung. The stakes are high: the next party leader will wield sweeping authority over candidate nominations for the 2028 general election.

Kim Min-seok is considered Jung's strongest potential challenger. The prime minister is expected to formally announce his candidacy as early as late June, once confirmation hearings for his successor are completed. President Lee, at his first-anniversary press conference, praised Kim as having "led the cabinet with truly outstanding leadership" and said it was now "more appropriate for him to take on a different role." Many interpreted the remarks as tacit backing for Kim's convention bid.

Meanwhile, Song Young-gil, who returned to the National Assembly through a by-election, is touring the Honam region to broaden his base. Should Song enter the race, he is expected to aggressively press the case that Jung's leadership bears responsibility for the party's local election losses.


sunpine@heraldcorp.com