Lkp Struggles to Find Candidate for Seoul Mayoral Election

The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) is struggling to find its candidate for the Seoul mayoral race, the biggest battlefield in the June 13 local elections.

Last week, former Government Legislation Minister Lee Seog-yeon turned down an offer from LKP Chairman Hong Joon-pyo to run in the mayoral election as the LKP candidate.

Before Lee, Hong reached out to Hong Jung-wook, ex-lawmaker and chairman of Herald Corp. and former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon with an offer for the party ticket, but they refused to accept it.

Na Kyung-won, a four-term lawmaker, is also rumored to have been courted by Hong for the Seoul mayoral race, but she is reportedly showing little interest.

Lee, who once led a prominent conservative civic group, had been considered one of the strongest contenders against incumbent Mayor Park Won-soon, a former lawyer and civic activist. Park was elected in 2011, and is preparing for a bid for a third term as mayor.

The LKP is planning to look for other candidates, such as Kim Byeong-joon, former presidential chief of staff for policy. However, it is likely a difficult challenge for the LKP as the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is already in an advantageous position nominating several...