The race for the mayor’s office in Busan is beginning to take shape within the main opposition People Power Party, with bigwigs hinting at a bid.

Rep. Suh Byung-soo, a fifth-term lawmaker who held the mayor’s office from 2014-2018, said in a radio interview Wednesday that he is positively considering entering the mayoral by-election next year as “politicians must always be open to every possibility."

"I couldn’t properly accomplish the dreams I had serving in a mayoral seat for four years, so I still have ambitions," said Suh. 

The same day, former lawmaker Park Hyung-jun revealed he was mulling a run. 

Park, who previously held a constituency in Busan, recently obtained office space in the city, which raised speculation that he might be planning to run in the by-election. He is planning to make an official announcement after the Chuseok holiday at the end of this month. 

The PPP’s former Rep. Kim Se-yeon, who has won elections in a Busan constituency three times, publicly announced that he will not participate in the election, despite polls showing he is the most favored candidate, followed by Suh. 

Former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don from the ruling Democratic Party resigned in April after admitting to groping a City Hall employee.

By Ko Jun-tae (ko.juntae@heraldcorp.com)