The ruling Democratic Party has reversed course and decided to hold a primary to determine its candidate for Seoul mayor in the June 1 local elections.
DP spokesperson Koh Yong-jin said Thursday that the interim leadership committee held a meeting and decided not to exclude former party leader Song Young-gil and Rep. Park Ju-min from the nomination contest. He said more candidates will be accepted on Friday to include an adequate number of candidates for the primary.
Koh said the candidate for Seoul mayor will be determined through an open primary with at least one televised debate, and a runoff vote will also be held.
The spokesman said that despite criticism about the former party chief bearing responsibility for the presidential election defeat, the party concluded that expanding the candidate list would be more competitive.
The DP earlier decided to strategically nominate its Seoul mayoral candidate without a primary in order to maximize its chances of winning and later excluded Song and Park, which prompted protest from their camps.
Source: KBS World Radio