[Politics & Diplomacy] Rival parties' primaries reach halfway point ahead of 21st presidential...

[Politics & Diplomacy] Rival parties' primaries reach halfway point ahead of 21st presidential election

경선 반환점 돈 민주, 찬탄2•반탄2로 압축된 국힘… 향후 변수와 사법 리스크는?

With the rival parties' primaries now about halfway through, let’s turn to our political correspondent Shin Ha-young for a closer look at where things stand, and what variables could shape the rest of the presidential race.

1. How are things going in the Democratic Party’s primary?

Well, the Democratic Party is halfway through its presidential primary race, which officially began last week.
The party is currently holding a three-way race with its preliminary candidates:
former party leader Lee Jae-myung; Kim Kyung-soo, former Gyeongsangnam-do Province Governor; and Kim Dong-yeon, current Gyeonggi-do Province Governor.
The party has been conducting regional primaries across the country, where votes from party members and delegates account for 50 percent of the final result.
Last week, voting took place in the Chungcheong-do and Gyeongsang-do provinces,
where Lee Jae-myung, as widely expected, strengthened his position as the DP's top contender, earning nearly 90 percent of the cumulative votes from those regions.
Now the party is left with two more rounds of primaries.
Voting began today in the Jeolla-do provinces, with results expected on Saturday.
Voting in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, alongside Gangwon-do Province and Jeju, will take place from tomorrow, with results to be announced on Sunday.
Public opinion polls, which account for the remaining 50 percent of the final result, are being conducted over two days this week.
The final candidate will be announced on Sunday.
Before that, the last televised debate among the three candidates will be held on Friday.

2. Let's talk about the People Power Party's primary. Originially, almost a dozen have signed up for it.
How far has the party gone in its primary process?

The People Power Party had 11 registered candidates in the first place, then the party narrowed them down to eight.
And yesterday, the PPP announced the first round cut-off, which was decided by a 100 percent open poll to have candidates who align with the public's expectations.
Former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo, four-term lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo, former party leader Han Dong-hoon, and former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo survived after the eight initial contestants were cut to four.
Now the race is among two candidates who were against former President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment, Kim and Hong, and two who were for the impeachment, Han and Ahn.

Starting with the second round cut-off, 50 percent of the votes will be from eligible PPP electors, while the other 50 percent will come from an open poll.
This means, those who were against President Yoon's impeachment could have an advantage.
The final candidate will be announced on May 3rd.

3. What are the factors to be on the lookout for?

For the Democratic Party, front-runner Lee Jae-myung's legal risks are one factor to be considered.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday started reviewing the election violation charge against Lee as a full bench.
And today, it announced that all the current justices will hold a second deliberation session on the case tomorrow.
This shows that the court is progressing in the case at unprecedented speed.
This means the court is taking the case more seriously than others due to the level of public interest.
Usually, Supreme Court cases are generally overseen by four justices.
An initial guilty verdict was overturned on appeal last month.
If the top court finds issues with that ruling, it can send the case back to the Seoul High Court for a rehearing.
While this is unlikely to block his presidential run as it takes time, it could fuel a political backlash.
If there's no final ruling before the election and Lee wins, his presidential immunity could spark debate over whether the trial can continue.
For the People Power Party, Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's unclear stance on a presidential bid remains a key variable.
Though not in the PPP primary, speculation is growing that he may run as an independent.
In such a case, some political insiders believe a later merger with a conservative candidate could shake up the race.
There are concerns that his possible run is pulling the focus away from the PPP primary.
While some party candidates have voiced discomfort, others say Han’s presence could still work in their favor.
If he plans to run, he must resign as Prime Minister by May 4.

Alright, thank you, Ha-young, for your report today. Keep us posted on future developments.

My pleasure.

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2025-04-23, 20:00 (KST)