Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon speaks during a meeting at Seoul City Hall, Monday, to review safety measures for K-pop group BTS’ comeback concert on March 21. Yonhap

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) is facing growing strain ahead of the June 3 local elections after several political heavyweights opted out of the party’s primary races, potentially weakening its chances against the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).

According to the party's primary registration list that concluded Sunday night, candidate sign-ups were weak across key regions, including the Seoul metropolitan area and Chungcheong Province.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, considered one of the party's most prominent figures, opted out of the PPP's Seoul mayoral primary. His announcement, made just hours before the registration deadline, came as a surprise to many as he had previously hinted he would seek a fifth term.

His decision comes amid a widening rift with the PPP leadership.

Oh has publicly urged PPP chairman Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok to clarify the party’s political direction and distance its leadership from supporters of former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his martial law debacle, saying it would improve the party’s chances in local elections.

Rep. Na Kyung-won, a five-term lawmaker, and Rep. Shin Dong-uk, a first-term lawmaker and the party’s senior supreme council member, also opted out of the Seoul mayoral race.

As of Monday morning, only two candidates had entered the PPP's Seoul mayoral primary — Yoon Hee-sook, a former lawmaker, and Lee Sang-kyu, a party member. Neither currently holds a parliamentary seat. The ruling DPK, meanwhile, has registered five candidates for its Seoul mayoral primary and is gearing up for the campaign.

The lack of prominent candidates in the capital has raised concerns within the PPP that the party's primaries may fail to generate momentum and public attention ahead of the elections.

Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, center, chairman of the main opposition People Power Party, speaks during the party's supreme council meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

Source: Korea Times News