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| The six contenders who will run for the second round of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s (DPK) presidential primary pose after making it through the first round at the party’s headquarters on Yeouido, Seoul, Sunday. From left are Rep. Kim Du-kwan, Rep. Park Yong-jin, former DPK Chairman Lee Nak-yon, former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung and former Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae. Yonhap |
The ruling Democratic Party (DPK) decided Monday to put off its presidential primary by five weeks in light of the recent upsurge in COVID-19 infections.
The decision was sealed earlier in the day during a closed-door meeting of the DPK’s supreme council.
“(The DPK) decided to postpone the first half of its nationwide campaign tour (for presidential contenders), originally slated to kick off on Aug. 7, by four weeks and the second half by five weeks,” Rep. Lee Sang-min, the chair of the DPK’s election committee, told reporters following the meeting.
“The recent elevation of the country’s social distancing regime following mass COVID-19 outbreaks as well as the upcoming Tokyo Olympics and the traditional Chuseok holiday season were taken into account,” he said of the background of the decision.
Under the rearranged schedule, the DPK will pick its sole standard bearer for the March 9 presidential election by no later than mid-October, not Sept. 10 as previously announced.
The decision follows the party’s monthslong internal division on the issue.
A group of DPK lawmakers, notably those known as supporters of high-profile DPK presidential hopefuls Lee Nak-yon and Chung Sye-kyun, demanded the election of the presidential candidate be put off to November.
They argued early primaries could fail to garner sufficient public attention due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They also claimed the election of the rival presidential candidate by the main opposition People Power Party, slated for November, could steal the show if the DPK’s candidate is picked too early.
But, the camp of the party’s front-running presidential contender, Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung, has been reluctant, apparently out of concern that his current lead in the primary could be negatively influenced, especially at a time when the support rating of runner-up Lee Nak-yon is on the rise.
In late June, the DPK’s supreme council opted not to postpone the primary, but put the option back on the table amid the ongoing fourth wave of virus infections, which prompted the country to enforce the highest Level 4 social distancing rules in the greater Seoul area. (Yonhap)
DPK postpones presidential primary by 5 weeks amid COVID-19 resurgence
Source: Buhay Kapa PH
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