Seoul, October 04 (Saba) - South Korean Former Gyeonggi Province Governor Sohn Hak-kyu has been elected as new leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, according to Qatar News Agency (QNA).

In the DP''s national convention held at Munhak Stadium in Incheon on Sunday, Sohn was elected to the party''s top post, narrowly beating out rival contenders Chung Dong-young and Chung Se-kyun. In a hotly contested race, the former three-term lawmaker captured 21.37 percent of the votes, defeating former Unification Minister Chung Dong-young who won 19.36 percent, and former DP chairman Chung Sye-kyun who garnered 18.41 percent, South Korean (KBS) World Radio reported.

The DP also elected new members of the nine-member Supreme Council. The council is the party''s top decision-making body and will be headed by the party''s new leader.

Those elected to the council include Chung Dong-young, Chung Se-kyun, Lee In-young, Chun Jung-bae, Park Joo-sun, and Cho Bae-sook, the only woman elected to the body.

Park Jie-won, who has led the party as acting chairman since the resignation of former party chairman Chung Se-kyun in August following the party''s defeat in by-elections, will also sit on the Supreme Council, along with another Supreme Council member who will be appointed by newly elected chairman Sohn.

The election for chairman was held using a formula in which 70 percent of delegate votes and 30 percent of opinion polls conducted in advance on party members determined the party''s leader.

Saba