3 contenders, 3 leadership styles compete in DPK chair race

Former Democratic Party of Korea Chair Jung Chung-rae greets former President Moon Jae-in at the Seoul International Book Fair at Coex in southern Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

The race to lead the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is taking shape as a three-way contest after party chair Jung Chung-rae stepped down Wednesday to seek another term, setting up an expected showdown with outgoing Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and veteran lawmaker Song Young-gil.

All three have cast themselves as supporters of the Lee Jae Myung administration.

Their political strengths, however, are markedly different. Each is appealing to different factions within the ruling party — Jung to its activist base, Kim to lawmakers seeking close coordination with Cheong Wa Dae and Song to those looking for an alternative should the race extend beyond the first round.

Jung, the party man

Jung enters the race with perhaps the strongest organizational backing.

“No matter what anyone says, I will stand by President Lee Jae Myung until the very end,” Jung said as he announced his resignation as party chair. “Lee and I share a political community and a destiny.”

His remarks followed weeks of speculation about tensions with the presidential office.

Differences over the pace of prosecutorial reform and several policy proposals, coupled with criticism following the ruling party’s disappointing performance in key local elections earlier this month, fueled rumors that Jung had fallen out of step with Lee.

Rather than distancing himself from the controversy, Jung has publicly reaffirmed his loyalty to the president in recent days.

The timing of his next move also drew attention. Hours after stepping down as party chair, Jung made an unannounced visit to former President Moon Jae-in at the Seoul International Book Fair, bowing deeply to greet him.

After the meeting, Jung told reporters that he had explained to Moon the need “to build Lee Jae Myung’s legacy on the foundation laid by Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun and Moon Jae-in.” According to Jung, Moon replied, “You did well.”

The visit came after several days in which Jung repeatedly emphasized his ties with Lee, leading some party insiders to interpret it as an effort to reassure the party’s traditional support base while broadening his appeal ahead of the convention.

Long associated with the party’s pro-Roh and pro-Moon camps, Jung has more recently emerged as one of Lee’s closest allies.

His supporters argue that his political roots and close relationship with grassroots members make him the best candidate to keep the party’s reform drive on course.

During his tenure as chair, Jung increased rank-and-file members’ involvement in party decision-making, strengthening his standing among the party’s activists.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, left, who is expected to enter the race for the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) leadership, greets DPK lawmaker Song Young-gil during a workshop for the party's newly elected provincial and metropolitan council members from the Gwangju-South Jeolla region in Boseong County, South Jeolla Province, June 16. Yonhap

Kim, Lee’s confidant

Kim’s campaign is built around a different strength — his relationship with Lee.

No candidate has closer ties to the president than Kim, who recently offered his resignation to join the party leadership race. He is widely expected to formally launch his campaign after officially stepping down from the Cabinet.

Lee has gone out of his way to publicly praise Kim, describing him as a politician with “deep policy insight” and “strong strategic judgment.”

When nominating Kim as prime minister, Lee also called him “the right person” to help carry out the administration’s agenda.

Those public endorsements have strengthened the perception within the ruling party that Kim enjoys Lee’s confidence, giving him an early advantage in the leadership race.

Supporters also argue that Kim’s experience in both government and party leadership would help minimize friction between the presidential office and the DPK while allowing the administration to move its legislative agenda more efficiently.

Kim first rose to prominence as a student activist in the 1980s before entering politics under former President Kim Dae-jung. His career stalled after backing Chung Mong-joon instead of Roh during the 2002 presidential election, leaving him outside the National Assembly for nearly two decades.

Since returning in 2020, however, he has rebuilt his political standing and become one of Lee’s most trusted political strategists.

Song, the dealmaker

Song, meanwhile, enters the race under very different circumstances.

The former DPK chair recently pulled off a political comeback after being acquitted of charges stemming from the party’s 2021 convention cash-envelope scandal.

Earlier this month, he returned to the Assembly by winning a parliamentary by-election, becoming Incheon’s first six-term lawmaker.

Rather than emerging as the front-runner, Song is increasingly viewed as a potential dealmaker whose role in the race could prove decisive. Senior DPK lawmaker Park Jie-won disclosed that Song had told Lee over dinner last week that he planned to enter the race before considering a runoff alliance with Kim if no candidate secures a first-round majority.

“He said he would run first and then consider joining forces with Kim Min-seok if the race goes to a runoff,” Park said, adding that the conversation left him with the impression that Song could end up as party chair. "I felt that Song's candid view was that, in a three-way race, no one really knows how it ends."

The possibility has attracted attention because the DPK will use a runoff system in its leadership election for the first time. If no candidate wins an outright majority in the opening round, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff, where Song could emerge as a pivotal figure.