The two leading contenders to be the next Democratic United Party chairperson, Kim Han-gil and Lee Hae-chan, took aim at each other over the weekend as the race entered its final week.

Rep. Kim remains in the lead against former Prime Minister Lee in regional votes so far conducted in 13 constituencies, but the gap is only 210 votes.

The outcome of the final vote on June 9 remains unpredictable as the regional ballots up until now account for 11 percent of the entire vote. The party will on Saturday hold the remaining regional votes in the Seoul and metropolitan region to be added to mobile votes by rank-and-file party members and citizens that account for 70 percent of the total.

“If Lee Hae-chan becomes the chairperson, it will mean that we failed to break away from the frame of factional rivalry,” Kim Han-gil told reporters at the National Assembly on Sunday. Lee faced criticism for an alleged back-door deal with DUP floor leader Park Jie-won to share the leadership. The DUP’s potential presidential candidate Moon Jae-in purportedly acquiesced to the alliance, which prompted criticism from party members of the mainstream faction.

“If elected, I will turn the DUP immediately to emergency mode for a presidential election victory. I will create a ‘roundtable among potential presidential candidates’ in order to manage the nomination process in a fair manner,” Kim said.

Less than an hour prior to Kim’s press conference, Lee also stood before reporters and said that he was a better fit for the job.

“I stand here determined that the remaining week of the leadership race must not end in negative campaigns,” Lee said.

“I propose to Kim Han-gil to have a productive time together, as the race right now is void of pledges or vision,” he added, apparently taking a shot at Kim’s repeated condemnation of the Lee-Park alliance throughout the race.

He highlighted his plans to reform the minimum wage system and to prioritize the creation of jobs and a labor taskforce in the party’s presidential pledges.

On Saturday, Lee’s camp also took a direct shot at Kim by saying in a statement, “It is bitter to see that a candidate that neglects proposing policy or vision is dubbed as a likely winner for the nation’s largest opposition party.”

Kim’s side retorted that it was Lee’s side that was “engaging in negative campaigns as they were forced into a corner.”

At present, Kim Han-gil is in the lead with 2,263 votes against Lee Hae-chan’s 2,053. Kim beat Lee in nine out of 13 constituencies so far, the latest being North Jeolla Province. Kim’s victory in South Jeolla Province and Daegu in particular were considered unexpected as they are considered traditional political support bases of the DUP’s mainstream members.

By Lee Joo-hee (jhl@heraldcorp.com)