Candidates Entering Presidential Race

The most likely candidates of 2007 presidential election are moving fast to prepare for the election.

The former chairperson of the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) Park Geun-hye, who is paying a visit to Germany now, declared her entering the party’s primary race at a press conference held Frankfurt last Saturday (local time). Park said, “Since the GNP isn’t a major party, our capability as a party has been a quite limited. I would like to make this country a more advanced society in which all people enjoy their full lives. To realize this, I am declaring running the GNP’s primary election.” This is the first time that Park announces her willingness to run the election.

Former Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak, who is on visit to his hometown, Pohang, Gyeongbuk, to spend Chuseok, also held a press conference yesterday and said, “I will run the GNP primary election to run the presidential election. I will present the election victory to our party after all.” After the conference, Lee also added, “This announcement just comes from embryonic consideration. I will officially announce my plan early next year after looking into circumstance around that time.”

Meanwhile, in regard to these announcements, Sohn Hak-gyu, the former governor of Gyeonggi Province, responded to by saying, “I don’t think this is a proper time to mention my personal plan.”

Two major rivals, Park and Lee, who have been evaluated as the most probable winners in public-opinion polls, seem to intend to drive public circumstances in favor to themselves during Chuseok holiday in which people usually exchange opinions regarding political issues.

The ruling Uri Party, on the other hand, which hasn’t put up anyone as a candidate now, plans to accelerate its plan to reshuffle the party, which may increase possibility of early political reformation to gear up election race.

The former Prime Minister Goh Kun and the ruling Uri Party keep track on the move of Park and Lee, and called for the party’s early move for political reformation.

In regard to this, Goh said at a press conference held Jeonju, “I have paid consistent attention to the Uri Party’s effort for the political reformation.”

In the mean time, former Uri Party chairman Chung Dong-young who arrived at the Incheon International Airport yesterday after two-month visit to Germany said to reporters, “I would like to make a contribution to brighten the future of this country.”

For the introduction of open primary which is advocated by some groups, Park cleared her opposition and said, “The most important thing is to keep rules and principles. I don’t think it is desirable to often change them in favor of personal interests.”

However, about this, Lee said, “It is the most important thing to help the party obtain power. In order to do so, party members have to consider things in several ways.”

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