The main opposition People Power Party on Sunday extended its deadline yet again for candidate registration for June's Seoul mayoral race, in an apparent bid to woo incumbent conservative Mayor Oh Se-hoon.
According to the People Power Party, it will prop open the door longer to the registration for its Seoul mayoral candidate nomination on Monday, accepting registrations on Tuesday before an interview of candidates Wednesday.
The announcement is to mark a third time that the party is extending the deadline to take part in the party's contest to select its candidate for Seoul mayor.
The deadline for registration was March 8, but Oh was absent from the list of Seoul mayoral contenders.
Oh still chose not to register for the candidacy in previously extended period, calling for more concrete action by the party to cut ties with ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol in the follow-up of the People Power Party lawmakers' joint statement to apologize for the massive political crisis triggered by Yoon.
In the meantime, the party confirmed candidates for other key battlegrounds, including mayoral posts for Incheon and Sejong, as well as the Jeju Province governor seat.
Lee Jung-hyun, who chaired a special committee dedicated to the People Power Party's local election candidate selection, offered to resign Friday in response to Oh's absence in the race, although the party kept the door open for Oh in an extraordinary fashion while the selection process was already underway for other posts.
Lee, however, withdrew his resignation offer and announced his return to the post Sunday.
Rep. Choi Bo-yun, senior spokesperson of the People Power Party, told reporters Sunday that Lee changed his mind after he privately met the party's chair, Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, Saturday in Gyeonggi Province.
In an announcement Sunday, the People Power Party openly urged Oh to participate in the candidacy race, saying in the statement, "Oh is a valuable asset of our party and has made remarkable achievements as a leader of Seoul's development."
The statement added, "We take note of Oh's achievement and role so far, and we ask him to take part in the candidate selection process."
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