(LEAD) Harris formally secures Democratic presidential nomination

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has officially earned the necessary number of delegate votes in a virtual voting process to become the Democratic Party's standard-bearer for the Nov. 5 presidential election, the party's national committee chief said Friday. Just a day after online voting kicked off, Harris, the only party candidate, received more than a majority of votes from delegates to become the nation's first woman-of-color presidential nominee as she has been cranking up a powerful campaign in a tight race against former President and Republican flag-bearer Donald Trump. Harris launched her campaign after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race last month amid dogged questions over his old age following a woeful debate performance in June. Her campaign has since created much enthusiasm among once-demoralized Democrats, seen a substantial fundraising haul and reshaped a race viewed as more favorable to Trump. "I am so proud to confirm that Vice President Harris has earned more than a majority o f votes from all convention delegates and will be the nominee of Democratic Party following the close of voting on Monday," Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said in a statement. After passing the delegate threshold, Harris said she was "honored" to be at the top of the ticket. "I am honored to be the Democratic nominee for President of the United States. I will officially accept the nomination next week," she wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "This campaign is about people coming together, fueled by love of country, to fight for the best of who we are." The virtual roll call vote is set to conclude on Monday. It was arranged ahead of the Democratic National Convention set for Aug. 19-22, because of Ohio's Aug. 7 deadline for parties to submit the names of their candidates. South Korean policymakers have been closely watching the U.S. election race as policy changes could take place depending on who occupies the White House. Harris is expected to continue key tenants of the Biden administrat ion's foreign policy, including strengthening a network of alliances and partnerships to confront shared regional and global challenges, though she could put her own style in policy formulation and implementation processes. Harris is expected to announce her pick for vice president as early as next week. Among those mentioned for the post are Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. A daughter of Jamaican- and Indian-born parents, Harris was sworn in as vice president in January 2021, making history as the first woman, the first black American, and the first South Asian American to be in that post. She was inaugurated as a senator of California in 2017 and previously served as the attorney general of California and district attorney of San Francisco. Source: Yonhap News Agency