Former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok was learned on the 5th to be set to officially declare a run for Democratic Party of Korea leader in Gwangju on the 6th. Former leader Jung Chung-rae is conducting behind-the-scenes campaigning while keeping his schedule private. With lawmaker Song Young-gil also said to be set to step in soon, some expect the party leadership race to shape up as a three-way contest.
Kim, the former prime minister, was said to be set to officially declare a bid for party leader on the 6th and kick his campaign into high gear. It comes five days after he returned to the party on the 30th of last month. Kim's side is said to be considering a format in which he announces his candidacy at the Gwangju military airport. Gwangju is both a place dense with Democratic Party rights-holding members and a location mentioned as a potential investment site for the government's three mega projects led by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix.
Former leader Jung Chung-rae has effectively entered the race through a closed-door schedule. Without making an official declaration of candidacy, he is not disclosing regional stops such as Gwangju and Honam. He is choosing to post after the events on social media.
Lawmaker Song Young-gil, mentioned as another potential candidate, is said to be weighing the timing of his run. Some in the party also raise the possibility that Song could enter the Cabinet.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party will hold a national convention on Aug. 17 to elect the next party leader. Candidate registration is on the 16th to 17th of this month. The regional party member meetings will be held through July 19, and the preliminary primary will take place on July 29. The provincial party touring primaries will run for three weeks starting Aug. 1. The Democratic Party National Convention Preparatory Committee (the preparatory committee) set the weighting for the convention electorate at 70% for the combined votes of delegates and rights-holding members and 30% for a public opinion poll.