As the Democratic Party of Korea faces increasing damage from heavy rainfall nationwide, it decided to focus its efforts on disaster recovery and to consolidate the on-site voting scheduled for the 26th and 27th in the Honam region and the Gyeonggi-Incheon region to the day of the national convention on the 2nd of next month. The party leadership candidates, lawmakers Jeong Cheong-rae and Park Chan-dae (in order of candidate number), headed to the disaster recovery site with the party leadership.
On the 21st, the Democratic Party held successive meetings of the National Party Member Conference Preparatory Committee (Jeonjunwi) and a closed-door Supreme Council meeting, where they approved a proposal to change the schedule for electing the party leader.
After the meeting, Democratic Party spokesperson Park Ji-hye met with reporters and noted, "In light of the situation where heavy rainfall damage is emerging nationwide, there was a recommendation made yesterday in the Supreme Council meeting to change the method of electing the party leader after communicating with both candidates' sides," and added, "As agreed by both candidates, we decided to change the tour primaries to a consolidated primary."
Initially, the Democratic Party planned to conduct on-site voting for party members in the Honam region (Gwangju, Jeollanam-do, Jeollabuk-do) on the 26th and in the metropolitan area (Gyeonggi, Incheon) on the 27th.
However, considering the severity of the recent nationwide heavy rainfall damage, it was decided to postpone it for about a week and to conduct a consolidated primary on the 2nd of next month when the party leader will be determined. Candidate Park suggested focusing on support for the heavy rainfall victims and called for a temporary suspension of the national convention, while Candidate Jeong proposed conducting the remaining regional primaries all at once as a one-shot primary, which was concluded.
The 2nd TV debate schedule for party leader candidates, originally scheduled for the 23rd, has also been decided to be postponed to the 27th. However, the '100-minute debate' on MBC on the 29th will be held as planned.
The proposal to change the schedule for electing the party leader will be finalized after going through the Party Affairs Committee on the 22nd.
The party leader candidates temporarily suspended their campaign activities and visited the disaster recovery site in Yesan, South Chungcheong Province, to participate in volunteer work.
Candidate Jeong announced the suspension of the party leader campaign on Facebook, stating, "For the time being, I will focus on disaster recovery. I hope to provide some comfort to those suffering from the disaster."
He also proposed an amendment to the River Act that includes provisions to issue 'pre-release instructions' and other necessary disaster prevention measures at the request of local governments near rivers. Candidate Jeong said, "I have submitted a bill reflecting the voices on-site to reduce the damage from disasters, and I will do my best to ensure that this law passes quickly to minimize the damage from heavy rainfall."
Candidate Park moved on to Gwangju after visiting Yesan to continue disaster recovery activities. In an SBS radio interview, he said, "Yesterday, I visited the community center in Hangsari Village, Gapyeong, to comfort the residents," adding, "It seems that what we have been doing is simply not enough to protect the lives and safety of the people. We must apply new methods, new measures, and new grammar."
Meanwhile, in the voting conducted for party members in the Chungcheong and Yeongnam regions over the weekend, the cumulative results show that Candidate Jeong led with 62.65%, significantly ahead of Candidate Park's 37.35%. In the Chungcheong region, Candidate Jeong received 62.77%, while Candidate Park earned 37.23%. In the Yeongnam region (Busan, Ulsan, South Gyeongsang Province, Daegu, North Gyeongsang Province), Candidate Jeong recorded a voting rate of 62.55%, confidently surpassing Candidate Park's 37.45%.
However, with voting remaining in the Honam region and the metropolitan area, where about 80% of the party members are concentrated, the outcome remains unpredictable. Candidate Park said, "I believe that during the remaining time, focusing on disaster recovery, my policies and expertise, as well as my leadership, will steadily approach the hearts of the party members. I also believe that I can turn the tables in the metropolitan area and Honam."