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Lee Jae-myung, who won a party election to serve another term as leader of the Democratic Party, takes questions from the press following the party’s national convention at the KSPO Dome in Seoul’s Songpa District on Aug. 18, 2024. (pool photo)

Lee Jae-myung secured another term as leader of the Democratic Party with a commanding vote share of over 80%. This is the first time since 2000, during an era characterized by party leadership with more centralized authority, that a Democratic Party leader has been reelected to the position. Back then, the party was led by former President Kim Dae-jung.

Lee clinched the leadership with 85.4% of the final vote during the party's national convention on Sunday, held at the KSPO Dome in Seoul’s Songpa District, defeating candidates Kim Doo-kwan, who garnered 12.12%, and Kim Ji-soo, who received 2.48%. Lee’s vote share exceeded his previous record of 77.77%, which had been the highest in the party's history. The final voter turnout in the leadership election stood at 42.7%.

Lee had achieved a cumulative vote share of 89.9% in online voting by party members across 17 regional primaries, which concluded the day before. He also secured over 80% of the votes in an ARS (automated response system) vote by party members (83.57%), as well as over 80% in a general public opinion poll (85.18%), both of which were announced on the day of the convention. However, his share in the delegate vote was slightly lower at 74.89%, with Kim Doo-kwan securing 21.15%.

In his victory speech, Lee emphasized that “the primary duty of politics is to care for the people’s lives and create hope” and proposed an inter-party summit meeting with President Yoon Suk-yeol, in his capacity as the new Democratic leader. He also called for a meeting with Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People Power Party, stressing the need for candid discussions on a law for a special counsel probe over a Korean Marine’s death. 

Running for reelection under the slogan “livelihood-ism,” a term he coined to emphasize the necessity of solving issues related to the public’s cost of living, Lee further stated, “We, in each of our roles, must now become a more competent party that takes full responsibility for the lives of the citizens of Korea.” He also highlighted key policy goals, including focused investment in renewable energy and preparing for a “universal basic society.”

Following his election, Lee appointed National Assembly member Lee Hae-sik, a political ally, as his chief of staff, and Jo Seoung-lae, who is not aligned with the new party leader, as the party’s chief spokesperson.

In a separate election for the party’s Supreme Council, Kim Min-seok received the most votes, followed by Jeon Hyun-heui in second place and Han Jun-ho in third. Kim Byung-joo and Lee Un-ju secured the fourth and fifth places, respectively. 

Former lawmaker Chung Bong-joo, who was an early frontrunner in the regional primaries, dropped to sixth place after his comments about party members leveraging their association with Lee Jae-myung for their own political power sparked backlash, preventing him from securing a spot on the council. As a result, all five elected members belong to the party’s pro-Lee Jae-myung faction. The voter turnout for the Supreme Council election was 42.8%.

Lee’s first official act as party leader will be a visit to the Seoul National Cemetery on Monday to pay his respects.

By Lee Woo-yun, staff reporter

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