South Gyeongsang Gov. Hong Joon-pyo of the Liberty Korea Party, long mentioned as a conservative bloc presidential hopeful, is set to announce his presidential ambitions later this week, his aides said Monday.
"Hong has already made up his mind on his candidacy," one of his close aides told Yonhap News Agency. Along with Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn and Rep. Yoo Seong-min of the Bareun Party, Hong has been cited as a strong presidential contender to represent the conservative bloc.
South Gyeongsang Gov. Hong Joon-pyo (Yonhap)
"I can hardly avoid a mandate from Heaven when the moment comes," Hong said through his social media account on Sunday.
According to the poll conducted on Saturday and Sunday by Korea Research Center, commissioned by Yonhap News Agency and KBS, Hong posted an approval rating of 1.9 percent, followed by Yoo with 1.6 percent. Hwang, who has not yet expressed his presidential ambitions, posted 9.1 percent.
On Sunday, the Liberty Korea Party lifted the suspension of party membership imposed against Hong, paving the way for his candidacy. Hong's membership had been suspended since 2015 after being charged with bribery in a high-profile lobbying scandal.
In February, the Seoul High Court found Hong not guilty of receiving money from Sung Wan-jong, the late former head of Kyungnam Corp., a local construction firm, ahead of a ruling party's leadership election in 2011.
The Constitutional Court removed Park Geun-hye from her presidential office last week on a corruption scandal, dealing a harsh blow to the conservative bloc.
Amid the rising public discontent against the conservative circle, Moon Jae-in, former head of the Democratic Party who lost against Park in the 2012 presidential race, appears to have strengthened his lead in the presidential race in local polls.
The poll conducted by Yonhap and KBS showed Moon posted an approval rating of 29.9 percent, significantly higher than any other conservative figures.
The presidential race is widely expected to take place in May, as South Korea must elect a new leader within 60 days after the ouster of an impeached president. (Yonhap)