Mayor Park Seung-won joins South Korea Democratic Party supreme council race

Gwangmyeong Mayor Park Seung-won announced his candidacy for a seat on the Democratic Party’s supreme council at a meeting of the Nationwide Decentralisation Democratic Leadership Council (KDLC) held in the National Assembly building on 12 December. He said his experience in local government will help strengthen the party’s decentralisation agenda, expand proven welfare policies nationwide, and increase grassroots party member influence. Park, a three‑term mayor and KDLC standing representative, was formally nominated by the KDLC before accepting the candidacy.

The gathering also featured other contenders for the party’s top leadership, including former party head Jeong Cheong‑rae, former prime minister Kim Min‑seok, and lawmakers Song Young‑kil and Kong Jung‑young. They presented policy positions emphasizing prosecution reform, a decisive victory in the upcoming parliamentary election, and a broader vision of the Democratic Party as a global defender of South Korean sovereignty. The event highlighted intense competition among candidates as they seek to shape the party’s direction ahead of the national convention.