"Friends made for the first time since high school… Let's engage in a friendly competition together"

Lee Jung-chul, a member of the Democratic Party, has officially declared his candidacy for the party leadership election and suggested a friendly competition regarding the potential candidacy of Park Chan-dae, stating, "I have no problem if Park Chan-dae becomes the party leader."

Park, who has served as the floor leader of the Democratic Party during the state of emergency and even acted as the party leader, is reported to be currently contemplating his candidacy for the party leadership.

On the 17th, during his appearance on the YouTube channel 'Kim Eo-jun's Humility is Difficult News Factory,' Lee responded to host Kim Eo-jun's relevant question by saying, “I also think that Park will run.”

He continued, "Park Chan-dae is a really close friend I first met after high school," adding, "I wondered if I could have a friend with whom to share a friendship after graduating high school, and I found such a friend."

Lee emphasized, "I don't know how the results will turn out, but we have enough trust in each other that we can willingly accept whoever becomes the party leader."

The party convention will be held on August 2… Election of the party leader and supreme committee members simultaneously

The Democratic Party decided to hold an extraordinary national delegate meeting to elect the next party leader and supreme committee members on August 2 during a meeting of the preparations committee held the day before.

This election will be a by-election conducted after President Lee Jae-myung resigned from the party leader position to run in the presidential election, and the new leader's term will be limited to one year.

On the 15th, Lee Jung-chul was the first to officially announce his candidacy, and Park Chan-dae, the former floor leader, is also expected to declare his candidacy soon. In addition to the party leader, one supreme committee member seat will also be elected due to the resignation of Kim Min-seok, the candidate for Prime Minister.

Candidate registration will take place on July 10… Final selection after regional party member gatherings

The preparations committee for the party convention held its first meeting that day and finalized the overall schedule and detailed election methods. Registration for candidates for party leader and supreme committee members will take place on July 10 for one day, followed by regional party member gatherings across the country. These will be conducted in the order of Chungcheong (July 19), Yeongnam (20), Honam (25), and the capital region (26), with the final convention held in the Seoul, Gangwon, and Jeju area on August 2.

The next party leader will be elected by combining the votes of delegates (15%), rights party members (55%), and national public opinion polls (30%). General public opinion polls will be conducted using a secure phone number method by two polling agencies simultaneously. The supreme committee members will be determined by combining the votes of central committee members (50%) and rights party members (50%).

Interest from both inside and outside the political arena is focused on what changes the unusual "friendship-based competition" between Lee Jung-chul and Park Chan-dae will bring to the party leadership race.

Meanwhile, both individuals were born in 1965 and are the same age. Lee is a four-term member, while Park is a three-term member.

Image source: Lee Jung-chul / News1, Park Chan-dae acting party leader and floor leader of the Democratic Party / News1