The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) on Thursday was set to announce the top three candidates to advance to the main race for the party leadership ahead of the party's national convention next month. Three candidates will be shortlisted among five based on 35 percent of the votes cast by the party's central committee members, 35 percent from dues-paying members and the remaining 30 percent from public opinion poll results. The five candidates are former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, former DPK leader Jung Chung-rae, Reps. Song Young-gil and Ko Min-jung, and former Gangjin councilmember Kim Bo-mi. For the party's supreme council, 8 out of 14 candidates will make the final cut. The DPK plans to hold the national convention on Aug. 17 to elect a new leader, who will play a key role in overseeing the nomination of candidates for the April 2028 parliamentary elections. Four-term lawmaker Jung Chung-rae, who announced his bid last week, is widely expected to be included among the top three candidates. Jung has faced criticism from some party members closely aligned with President Lee Jae M