Police said Thursday they have assigned a security detail of about 10 officers to independent presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo, the same level of protection given to candidates of major political parties.

The National Police Agency said the bodyguards were sent on assignment Wednesday after two weeks of specialized training and will guard the candidate around the clock until the Dec. 19 polls.

The 50-year-old computer software mogul-turned-politician declared his candidacy on Wednesday of last week, posing a serious challenge to both ruling Saenuri Party candidate Park Geun-hye and Moon Jae-in of the main opposition Democratic United Party.

Police sent officers to Park and Moon immediately after they won their parties' nominations on Aug. 20 and Sept. 16, respectively.

The three main candidates thus receive the same level of protection as the prime minister, the National Assembly speaker and the Supreme Court chief justice. The president's safety is handled separately by the Presidential Security Service. (Yonhap News)