Lee Jae-myung (right) greets people, along with former Interior Minister Kim Doo-gwan (center), during a convention of the Democratic Party to elect a new party leader on the southern island of Jeju on Saturday. (Yonhap)

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, former leader of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), won a primary on Jeju Island for party leader Saturday, as he eyes to secure a second term.

In June, Lee resigned to run for reelection as the current party rule stipulates the party chair must resign from his leadership position to be eligible as a candidate.

During Saturday's primary, the first of the 15-leg race across the country, Lee won 82.5 percent of all ballots cast by registered party members on the island, followed by former Interior Minister Kim Doo-gwan with 15.01 percent and another candidate Kim Ji-soo at 2.49 percent.

The DP is scheduled to elect a new leader during a national convention on Aug. 18 by factoring in the results of the primaries, a survey on the general public and online polls by party representatives.

Lee is widely expected to win his second term and is considered a leading candidate for the liberal party for the next presidential election in 2027, though he is at the heart of several scandals, including a land development scandal in Seongnam, south of Seoul.

In January, he was stabbed in the neck while visiting the southeastern port city of Busan. (Yonhap)