The Democratic Party of Korea special rules preparation committee concluded that the rules for this election primary will be changed to 50% party member voting and 50% public opinion polls. The primary rules set by the special rules preparation committee will be finalized after soliciting opinions from party members.
The special rules preparation committee held its third meeting in the National Assembly on the afternoon of the 11th and reached a provisional conclusion on the primary rules using the '50% party member voting and 50% public opinion polls' method of public participation. This differs from the public primary method applied in the 19th and 20th presidential elections.
A key official from the special rules preparation committee noted to ChosunBiz, 'A lot of discussions took place (within the special rules preparation committee) regardless of any pros or cons,' and added that 'there should be no room for controversy or distortion regarding this primary rule decision.'
The public participation primary is a method of electing candidates based on '50% party member voting and 50% public opinion polls.' Initially, it was reported that the Democratic Party special rules preparation committee had been reviewing the public participation primary as a strong option. The short primary period and the potential for conservative voters to participate as regular citizens increase the likelihood of disrupting the candidacy of Lee Jae-myung, the former leader of the Democratic Party, which is the reason behind this.
On the other hand, the public primary is a method where regular citizens participate in primary voting as voters, which was primarily favored by candidates opposing Lee Jae-myung. If participation by party members increases, it would create a more favorable primary for Lee, who has captured the party sentiment. Additionally, since the public primary was adopted in the previous 19th and 20th elections, it is argued that implementing it in this presidential election poses no issues.
The special rules preparation committee will gather opinions from party members at the Democratic Party headquarters at 11 a.m. on the 12th and finalize the primary rules at 2 p.m. on the same day. Afterward, they will be finalized through the party's supreme council and the duties committee, as well as the central committee. The Democratic Party plans to hold a general assembly to share details regarding the primary rules.
It seems difficult for the Democratic Party to avoid criticism that it has established the 'Oh Dae-myung (Since the president will be Lee Jae-myung anyway)' primary rule. Although candidates opposing Lee Jae-myung have argued for an open primary (fully public primary) and a public primary, it may be pointed out that the special rules preparation committee ultimately did not properly reflect the opinions of candidates from the opposing faction. However, it appears that the special rules preparation committee will not change the provisional conclusion it has reached regarding the primary rules.
Lee Chun-seok, the chairperson of the Democratic Party special rules preparation committee, met with reporters after the meeting and said, 'I believe that the mission of the preparation committee is to create a proposal that every candidate finds unsatisfactory, and we reached this conclusion.' He added, 'Even though we heard (other) opinions, the conclusion will not change, but seeking understanding is part of the preparation committee's mission.'