Two presidential contenders of the conservative camp have launched a war of words in an apparent bid to solidify their status as the only person to take on liberal frontrunner Moon Jae-in.

With the election only 39 days away, Moon, a former leader of the Democratic Party, has maintained what many observers have called a comfortable lead over his rivals, sending the conservatives scrambling to extend their rule cut short by the ouster of President Park Geun-hye, according to analysts.

On Wednesday, South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Hong Joon-pyo of Park's Liberty Korea Party opened fire on Rep. Yoo Seong-min, the presidential nominee of the Bareun Party, by framing him as a traitor who betrayed the former president. Bareun, which means "righteous" in Korean, broke away from the Liberty Korea Party in the wake of Park's impeachment over a corruption scandal.

"We can forgive a murderer, but we can't forgive a traitor. That's the mentality of the TK region," he told reporters, referring to the southeastern Daegu and Gyeongsang area which has been the conservatives' stronghold.

Yoo served as Park's chief aide and helped her prepare for the 2007 presidential primary. But the two fell apart after he openly criticized her failure to fulfill her campaign pledges following her election as president in 2012.

The lawmaker shot back the next day, saying Hong's remarks were the language of gangsters. He defended his actions by citing the Constitutional Court's ruling that led to Park's dismissal.

"Gov. Hong is trying to run for president on the back of the pro-Park forces that are responsible for the (corruption scandal involving Park) and ruining the (former) president," he claimed.

The two clashed again when Hong compared Yoo to former Rep. Lee Jung-hee of the now dissolved Unified Progressive Party, who stated ahead of the 2012 election that she joined the presidential race to divert votes from Park.

"Why does he keep quarreling with me?" Hong said. "If Yoo keeps doing this, he'll end up playing the role of Lee Jung-hee during the 2012 election."

Yoo countered by drawing a parallel between the governor and the former leftist lawmaker.

"Isn't Lee Jung-hee the one who came from the far extreme left and brought chaos to the election?," he said. "Gov. Hong is an unqualified person who has to first stand trial at court even if he becomes president."

Hong is awaiting the Supreme Court's ruling on charges he took bribes from a businessman in a high-profile lobbying scandal.

Political watchers expect the three major parties, excluding Moon's party, to form some sort of coalition before the election to boost their chances against Moon.

The frontrunner has consistently garnered approval ratings in the 30 percent range. The other contenders, meanwhile, have mostly trailed behind in the 10 percent range at most.

Hong's approval ratings have hovered close to 10 percent, making him the leading conservative contender. Yoo has recorded between 2 and 3 percent.

Still, the lawmaker dismissed the possibility of unifying candidacies with the governor.

"Isn't it becoming increasingly unlikely that I will merge with such a party or candidate?" he said. (Yonhap)