In the Chungcheong region primary to select a candidate for the Democratic Party of Korea’s presidential election, candidate Lee Jae-myung secured first place with an overwhelming approval rating exceeding 88%.
Candidate Lee recorded first place by receiving 57,057 votes (88.15%) out of 63,460 voters at the Chungcheong region primary held at Cheongju Gymnasium in Chungbuk on that afternoon.
Candidate Lee expressed gratitude, saying, “I appreciate the excessive support from party members and delegates. I will do my best in the remaining schedule to fulfill the desire to create a new country.”
The winner of the 'second place battle' was candidate Kim Dong-yeon, who followed Lee with 4,883 votes (7.54%). However, the approval rating was less than one-tenth of Lee’s approval rate.
Candidate Kim Dong-yeon stated, “Since there will be other regional primaries and public opinion polls, I will do my utmost to achieve good results,” adding, “My goal is to win, and this is just the beginning.”
Candidate Kim Kyeong-soo recorded third place with 2,790 votes (4.31%). He mentioned, “It’s regrettable, but this is just the beginning. I will do my best during the remaining time to show my sincerity and vision to the public.”
When asked about a unification plan with candidate Kim Dong-yeon, he drew a line, stating, “Creating an overwhelming regime change is the main goal of this primary,” and noted, “I think unification has little meaning in this primary.”
Meanwhile, the voting rate for the Democratic Party’s Chungcheong regional electoral group was 57.62%. Out of 110,131 registered party members, the valid votes totaled 63,460.
Democratic Party spokesperson Cho Seung-rae remarked, “(The voting rate for this Chungcheong primary) is higher than the last presidential primary (50.20%),” adding, “This indicates the strong desire of our party members for regime change.” He continued, “I expect this trend to carry on into the primaries in Yeongnam, Honam, and the metropolitan area.”