The ruling Saenuri Party’s presidential frontrunner Park Geun-hye is expected to declare her presidential bid this week as the party tries to assuage her potential rivals disgruntled by her refusal to change the primary rules.

Her announcement will signal the start of a full-fledged race toward the Dec. 19 election which is likely to center on “economic democratization.”

The Saenuri leadership set the stage late last month by fixing on Aug. 19-20 for the party’s primary election date, effectively dismissing the demands by party underdogs to hold fully-open primaries.

Her rivals from the ruling and opposition parties are likely to number more than 14, but the predominant presidential hopeful continues to enjoy a solid lead opinion polls.

The latest survey conducted by Hangil Research and Consulting on June 22-23 showed Park at the top as “the most likely winner” with 45.7 percent, and “the most suitable candidate to win the next presidency” with 38.7 percent.

Park’s camp is also shaping up, with Hong Sa-duck, a six-term former lawmaker and senior pro-Park member, and Kim Chong-in, a leading economist-turned-politician, co-chairing the campaign committee.

Park has repeatedly named economic democratization and depolarization as a priority. Her commitment to the goals was underlined by her appointment of Kim, who has progressive tendencies and is often called “originator of economic democratization” or “chaebol reformer.”

“The key to this presidential election will be Park Geun-hye versus Park Geun-hye,” a pro-Park member said, indicating how negative campaigns against the frontrunner will most likely dictate the six month-long race.

Park is praised for her calm and principled leadership but criticized for reticence. Her biggest asset, as well as hurdle, is her father, late President Park Chung-hee, who still receives mixed evaluations for leading the country’s post-war economic growth through dictatorship.

Her party rivals include Gyeonggi Gov. Kim Moon-soo, Reps. Chung Mong-joon and Lee Jae-oh, former presidential chief-of-staff Yim Tae-hee, former South Gyeongsang Gov. Kim Tae-ho and former Incheon Mayor Ahn Sang-soo.

The first three, suffering a setback from the primary rule debate-gone-awry, are contemplating withdrawing their bids as their popularity also continues to stagger around one digit. Kim, however, is also reportedly considering remaining in the race.

Yim, on the other hand, said Sunday he would vie in the primary “regardless of the rules being disadvantageous” for him.

“The arrogance of former chairwoman Park and the undemocratic decision by the leadership have disgraced the party as representing politics of miscommunication,” Yim told reporters. “But I will fight fair and square and no longer talk about the primary rules.”

There are a handful of figures in the DUP looking to challenge for the presidency, including Moon Jae-in, a former chief-of-staff for late President Roh Moo-hyun, Sohn Hak-kyu, a former Gyeonggi governor, Chung Sye-kyun, former Democratic Party chairman, and Rep. Cho Kyoung-tae, who won his third term in the Saenuri-friendly constituency in Busan. South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Doo-kwan is also making last-minute touches to his bid before officially declaring it this week.

Her biggest rival in terms of popularity ratings is software mogul-turned-professor Ahn Cheol-soo, who trails closely behind the frontrunner despite having no political experience.

The DUP is determined to change the political tide in their favor by holding a heated primary in the fall, after the London Olympics, possibly followed by an alliance with Ahn.

Resolving to place economy as priority, Park is set to join the Assembly’s Strategy and Finance Committee. There, she will be confronting Moon, who signed up for the same committee as he makes his political debut.

As for the Saenuri Party, the leadership is reviewing holding at least half of the joint speeches of its presidential hopefuls in the metropolitan region in order to hype up the primary that is criticized to become an inanimate installation of Park as the official candidate.

By Lee Joo-hee (jhl@heraldcorp.com)