Jeong Cheong-rae, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, announced his intention to revise and re-pursue the rules for local election nominations, which had been rejected at the recent Central Committee meeting. He also expressed a desire to re-propose the “one member, one vote” system, which aims to equalize the voting value of party members and delegates, although its implementation will be postponed for the time being.
During the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 8th, Jeong stated, “We will swiftly re-submit and process the revised amendment on local election nomination rules to avoid any disruptions in the election process.” A proposal to change the bylaws to have a 100% voting rate of registered party members for selecting candidates for metropolitan and basic assembly proportional representation seats was previously defeated at a Central Committee meeting. The proposal had failed to meet the required majority vote. Jeong acknowledged the Central Committee’s decision and remarked that the “one member, one vote” proposition also failed due to low voter turnout despite receiving 73% support. This led to debates about his leadership, especially amid tensions between factions within the party.
To address the suggestion’s failure, Jeong decided to maintain the current 50% voting ratio of executive members for selecting basic assembly candidates and will submit this revised proposal at the general management committee meeting on the 9th. Meanwhile, for the selection of metropolitan assembly candidates, he plans to re-pursue the idea of 100% voting only by registered party members. The party’s chief spokesperson, Park Soo-hyun, clarified, “There is already broad coverage within the metropolitan assembly proportional representation of rights-based party members, and this move aligns with our goal of transitioning into a party governed by member sovereignty.”
Jeong also reaffirmed his commitment to the “one member, one vote” initiative, emphasizing its significance as a longstanding aspiration of the party. “While we have decided not to re-submit this proposal for now, we remain hopeful about realizing it in the future, as the party belongs to its members just as the country belongs to its citizens,” he said, further indicating that the party would seek member input to chart a way forward.