▲ Kim Min-seok, a candidate for leader of the ruling Democratic Party, greets party members before being elected at the party's national convention in the central city of Daejeon on Aug. 17, 2026. (Yonhap)
▲ Newly elected Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok waves the party flag after being elected at the party's national convention held in the central city of Daejeon on Aug. 17, 2026. (Yonhap)

(ATTN: ADDS outcome of election for supreme council members, more info in paras 10-11)

By Park Boram and Yi Wonju

SEOUL, Aug. 17 (Yonhap) -- Former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok was elected the new leader of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Monday, putting him at the helm of the party as it seeks to advance President Lee Jae Myung's legislative agenda and prepare for the 2028 parliamentary elections.

Kim won 54.08 percent of the votes, defeating Rep. Jung Chung-rae, who had sought a second consecutive term as DP leader, at the party's national convention held in the central city of Daejeon. Former leader Jung had 45.92 percent of the total votes.

"The party will work for the success of President Lee Jae Myung and his administration," Kim said in his acceptance speech.

"The relationship between the party and the presidential office will be a creative horizontal partnership based on full cooperation and support for the president and the government," he added.

The new party chairman also vowed sweeping changes to the party in its "language, policies, attitude and culture."

Kim, a key political ally of the president, stepped down as prime minister earlier this year to enter the leadership race.

His election is widely expected to strengthen Lee's grip over the ruling party, with Kim having pledged "complete alignment" between the party and the presidential office during his campaign.

As none of the three candidates secured a majority in the initial round, the winner was determined according to the party's newly adopted ranked choice voting system, under which voters rank candidates in order of preference on their ballots.

Former DP leader Song Young-gil was eliminated after the initial round, finishing third.

The party also elected five new members of its supreme council: Reps. Choi Min-hee, Lee Sung-yoon, Han Min-soo, Park Sun-won and Seo Mi-hwa. The first three lawmakers are considered closely aligned with Jung.

The council consists of nine members, including the party chairman, floor leader and two members appointed by the party leader.

Monday's election marked the first DP leadership race under a one-person, one-vote system. Votes from party delegates and dues-paying party members accounted for 70 percent of the final result, while votes from the general public accounted for the remaining 30 percent.

Kim had been widely expected to win after leading Jung in regional primaries among dues-paying party members, boosted by a decisive win in the southwestern Honam region, home to about one-third of the DP's dues-paying members.

Jung, considered a party hard-liner, had faced criticism from some pro-Lee members who argued that he focused more on appealing to the party's hard-line supporters than on working in close coordination with the president on key issues.

He also drew criticism within the party over the results of the June 3 local elections, in which the DP won 12 of the 16 mayoral and gubernatorial seats but lost key battlegrounds, including the Seoul mayoral race.

As the new leader, Kim will lead the ruling party into the 2028 parliamentary elections, while also playing a key role in advancing Lee's legislative agenda.

The DP currently holds 161 seats in the 300-member National Assembly, giving it enough seats to pass legislation without opposition support.

The outcome of the 2028 parliamentary elections could determine how much legislative momentum Lee retains for the final two years of his term, which ends in 2030.

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