Ex-PM leads in DPK leadership race amid falling approval rating for president

Former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok won the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) primary across Gwangju and the Jeolla provinces Saturday, securing a key victory in a region viewed as a litmus test for the party's leadership race. Kim captured 57.54 percent of the vote in the party stronghold, outpacing incumbent party leader Rep. Jung Chung-rae, who received 32.65 percent, and former party chief Rep. Song Young-gil, who took 9.81 percent. In total, Kim leads with a cumulative 235,128 votes, or 52.21 percent, across Chungcheong Province, Busan–Ulsan–South Gyeongsang Province, Jeju, Incheon, Gangwon Province, Daegu–North Gyeongsang Province, and North and South Jeolla provinces. Jung secured 171,768 votes, or 38.14 percent — a gap of roughly 14 percentage points with Kim. Song remains in third with 43,464 votes, or 9.65 percent. Kim’s strong performance in South Jeolla area suggests party loyalists favor a candidate aligned with President Lee Jae Myung, who recently announced an 800 trillion won ($564 billion) semiconductor megaproject for Gwangju and the surrounding region