Ex-PM claims narrow victory in DPK primary across Seoul, Gyeonggi

Former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok won the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) primary across Seoul and Gyeonggi Province on Sunday. Kim secured a narrow victory with 46.61 percent (148,245 votes), edging out incumbent party leader Rep. Jung Chung-rae at 46.28 percent (147,038 votes) and former party chief Rep. Song Young-gil at 7.05 percent (22,410 votes). Kim’s total cumulative vote share reached 49.91 percent, excluding regional weighting for North and South Gyeongsang provinces and Daegu. Meanwhile, Jung followed at 41.51 percent, with the gap between them at 8.4 percentage points. Kim also secured a victory in the party primary in Gwangju and the Jeolla provinces Saturday, 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 Jung, who received 32.65 percent, and former party chief Rep. Song Young-gil, who took 9.81 percent. Before Sunday's primary, Kim led with a cumulative 235,128 votes, or 52.21 percent, across Chungcheong Province, Busan–Ulsan–South Gyeongsang Province, Jeju, Incheo