Gyeonggi governor to compete in Saenuri presidential primary


Kim Moon-soo, governor of Gyeonggi Province, on Sunday said he would run for the presidency, becoming the first official candidate for the December vote.
“I am here to tell you about my decision to run for the 18th president of Korea,” Kim told a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul.

The two-term governor said he will join the ruling Saenuri Party’s presidential primary, expected to be dominated by party chief and overwhelming favorite Park Geun-hye.

“Many tried to talk me out of it, saying this will be like beating my head against the wall,” the 62-year-old Kim said, apparently mindful of his underdog position.

“Yet, I am choosing to put myself on a mission to make Korea a greater nation, together with the people.” 

With Kim’s announcement, the conservative ruling bloc is likely to begin jockeying for the election in earnest. President Lee Myung-bak, a Saenuri member, is barred by law from seeking re-election.

While Park, who led the conservatives to a dramatic victory in the April 11 general election, is expected to retreat from the party’s fore, her potential contenders are expected to take steps aimed at raising their presidential profile.

They include Reps. Lee Jae-oh, Chung Mong-joon, Kim Tae-ho and former Prime Minister Chung Un-chan.

The Saenuri Party is to form a new leadership through a national convention next month that will guide the party through the presidential nomination process.

Kim and other underdog candidates demand an open primary, which allows voters with no Saenuri membership to decide who should become the party’s presidential standard-bearer.

A former labor activist, Kim is considered one of the moderates in the conservative and pro-business Saenuri. He served as a parliamentarian three times before being elected in 2006 as the governor of Gyeonggi, the most country’s most populous province, which surrounds Seoul. He was reelected in 2010.

He did not say whether he would quit the governorship.

By Lee Sun-young (milaya@heraldcorp.com)