Ruling party chief Kim Moo-sung, regarded as a presidential contender, will seek to visit the United States in mid-July, a party source said Sunday.

Kim’s visit is aimed at strengthening ties with the U.S. Congress, party officials said. But Kim appears to be attempting to boost his credentials as a possible 2017 presidential candidate through the trip, observers commented.

If confirmed, Kim’s visit to the U.S. will be his second overseas trip since taking the party chairmanship last year. In October, he visited Beijing and met Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“(Conservative) party politicians (in South Korea) have gone to the U.S. before bidding for a presidential run,” said Choi Young-jin, professor of Korean politics at Chung-Ang University.

“Presidential bid-seekers (on the right) are often interested in showing their party that they are respected internationally, especially in the U.S., as they often have the South Korea-U.S. alliance at the center of their foreign policy platform,” Choi added.

Kim is expected to stop at major U.S. cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and Washington. The five-term lawmaker will hold round-table meetings with leaders of the local Korean communities there and also possibly meet with senior officials of the Obama administration as well as U.S. Rep. Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and other congressional leaders in Washington, according to reports.

Whether Kim will hold a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will also be watched by Korean political analysts. Ban, a former foreign minister of South Korea, has also been rumored to be considering a run in the 2017 race.

Former conservative President Lee Myung-bak visited Japan in November 2006, months before the 2007 presidential primaries in South Korea’s conservative party. President Park Geun-hye, the eventual loser to Lee in the 2007 Grand National Party primary, visited Germany in September 2006.

By Jeong Hunny (hj257@heraldcorp.com)