The Democratic Party of Korea has entered a critical "super week" of national primary voting to select its next party leader [1].
This phase of the election is decisive because the Honam and capital regions—including Seoul and Gyeonggi—account for more than 70% of all party members [1], [2].
Voting for party members begins Tuesday [1]. The process will unfold across the capital and Honam regions in intervals of one day [1], [2]. Candidates Kim Min-seok and Jung Chung-rae are competing for support in these high-density areas to secure the nomination.
The race remains tight. Reporter Yang Dong-hoon of YTN said that Kim Min-seok previously held an advantage while Jung Chung-rae led in the Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam primaries [1]. This has resulted in a gap of 1.48 percentage points [1] between the two candidates.
Both candidates have expressed their determination to win in the Honam and capital regions. An YTN anchor said that the results from these two areas will likely reveal the final outline of the next party leader [1].
Because the vast majority of the voting power is concentrated in these specific geographic hubs, the current momentum in Seoul and the southwest is expected to override previous results from other provinces [1], [2].
“The Honam and capital regions account for more than 70% of all party members.”
The concentration of voting power in the Honam and capital regions makes this 'super week' the functional climax of the leadership race. With a margin of only 1.48 percentage points, the party's direction will be decided by which candidate can better mobilize the core base in South Korea's most politically influential districts.
