CALLS TO DEFER PRIMARY ELECTIONS

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The Democratic Party was scheduled to begin the presidential election process, starting with backup candidate registration this month. But there have been calls from within the party to defer the primaries. Meanwhile, the number one opposition party, the People Power Party, is to elect its new leader this Friday. Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, the most likely presidential candidate from the opposition camp, has been keeping busy over the weekend with Memorial Day events.

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Choi Moon-soon, who declared his bid for presidency earlier this month, proposed the deferment of primaries schedule for the Democratic Party. The Gangwon-do Governor also suggested holding debates with other candidates on this matter.

[Soundbite] Choi Moon-soon(Gangwon-do Governor) : "I hope it could be delayed if possible. It will be hard to draw attention to the primaries since they are scheduled for July and August during people’s vacation season."

His proposal was made in time with the People Power Party convention gaining nationwide attention. Among other DP presidential hopefuls, Lee Kwang-jae and Kim Doo-kwan were in favor of postponing the primaries. However, Gyeonggi-do Governor Lee Jae-myung was against the idea while former party leader Lee Nak-yon and former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun maintained the decision should be made by the party leadership. The party leaders plan to arrange the schedule after a presidential election strategy team is launched in mid-June. Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, considered the most promising presidential candidate from the opposition camp, kept busy over the Memorial Day weekend. He paid tribute at the Seoul National Cemetery and met with survivors of the K-9 self-propelled howitzer explosion and the 2010 Cheonan naval ship sinking. Yoon emphasized, rewarding patriotism is national defense and vowed to shape a country where victims are not enraged. The former top prosecutor distributed his schedule and remarks as press briefing materials, prompting speculations from the political circle that he will soon throw his hat in the ring. Yoon's presidential campaign is projected to be in full swing after the June 11th PPP convention where the party leader will be chosen. On Monday, the opposition bloc begins a mobile poll among members of its electoral college.