The Democratic Party of Korea will hold its convention to elect the next leadership on Aug. 17.
Jo Seoung-lae, the Democratic Party secretary-general, held a press briefing at the National Assembly on the 8th and said, "There is a consensus to hold the convention on Aug. 17," adding, "We will bring it to the party affairs committee on Thursday and finalize the timing, procedures, and system adjustments through the central committee next week."
The secretary-general said, "We will accept registrations for party leader and Supreme Council candidates, and through regional touring primaries and the main primary, we will ultimately elect the party leader and Supreme Council members on Aug. 17."
There is no separate deadline for candidates running for party leader or the Supreme Council to withdraw. The secretary-general said, "President Lee Jae-myung resigned during his term as party leader to seek another term, and the party constitution and bylaws do not say whether seeking another term is allowed or not," adding, "During Lee Jae-myung's term as leader, he is considered to have resigned before the convention preparatory committee was formed."
The secretary-general said that at the closed-door Supreme Council meeting held that day, they also approved the establishment of an evaluation committee to assess the results of the June 3 local elections and by-elections. The secretary-general said, "We will form it with a balanced mix of internal and external figures, and the Chairperson will be co-chaired," adding, "We decided to gather opinions through Wednesday and then form the lineup."
Regarding President Lee Jae-myung saying at a press conference that day that the election results were "at least not a success," he said, "It is a victory, but the defeat in Seoul, where it cannot be called a victory, is very regrettable and unfortunate," adding, "I do not think the president's wording conflicts with what the leadership is saying."
On the shortage of election commission ballots, he said, "A rigorous investigation and probe are needed to determine the cause of the situation," adding, "At the same time, including the election commission's authority, role, and its relationship with administrative agencies, we should also consider in a two-track approach how to improve the efficiency of voting and counting."
The secretary-general said, "It is a rare case for a parliamentary inquiry and a special counsel to be invoked simultaneously," adding, "We can allow sufficient time for the parliamentary inquiry and discuss whether to conduct a special counsel at the same time."