Moon received ardent support from non-party voters and former civic group figures, while’s Lee support enjoyed strong backing from young liberal voters.

“I solemnly accept the elected position as the first chairperson of the DUP,” said Han.

She also pledged to win the party’s victory in the upcoming elections.

“The journey to overturn the Lee Myung-bak government has officially started,” she said.

“This year shall be a turning point in the history of Korean politics.”

She also pledged to put an end to unfair in-party candidate nominations and let the people decide who is to represent them in elections.

Han was the nation’s first female prime minister under the previous liberal administration and also chaired the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation in 2009-2010.

She also fell just short of unseating then-Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon of the ruling Grand National Party in the 2010 election.

Shortly before the in-party race, the Roh aide was acquitted by an appellate court of long-pending allegations that she had taken bribes during her term as prime minister.

“I hope to lead our party to victory in the upcoming race and reform the politically biased prosecution,” Han said, after the court ruling.

In their final speeches, most of the nine candidates underlined their close ties with Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, the former liberal presidents.

They also hammered the Lee administration and the ruling party for their alleged irregularities but refrained from attacking the right-wing’s recent bribery scandal as the DUP has also faced similar vote-buying suspicions.

Several leveled their attacks at Rep. Park Geun-hye, provisional leader and leading presidential hopeful of the GNP.

“I am the ideal character to equally confront the GNP’s Park,” said Han.

The 67-year-old former prime minister and the 59-year-old daughter of the former President Park Chung-hee are considered the top female figures of the left-wing and right-wing camps.

On the other hand, the DUP’s policy committee chairperson Rep. Park Young-sun relied on her renowned debating skills and sound expertise in political policies.

“Park, having never truly sympathized with the people, only speaks for the privileged,” said the liberal Park, suggesting a “Park versus Park” open forum.

“I, however, shall represent the low-income and middle classes, which constitute 99 percent of our population.”

Rep. Kim Boo-kyum, third-term lawmaker in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province, challenged for the parliamentary seat in Daegu, a traditional GNP stronghold and hometown to the GNP chief.

“The most intense battle in the upcoming general elections is to take place in Daegu,” said Kim.

“I shall give up all my vested rights to break down regionalism and to pioneer a new constituency for our party.”

Candidates also made efforts to appeal to the Korean Federation of Trade Unions, which rose as an influential factor within the party.

“I have been imprisoned three times for being involved in labor strikes and devoted my youth to the promotion of labor rights,” said Park Yong-jin, former member of the minority Democratic Labor Party.

The results were determined by reflecting votes by party members and citizens 70 percent and votes by delegates 30 percent.

The new voting rule, which acted in favor of civic group figures, were earlier confirmed by former Democratic Party chairman Rep. Sohn Hak-kyu and Citizens Integrated Party leader Lee Yong-seon during the merger negotiation talks.

A total of 598,124 non-party citizen voters cast their ballot throughout last week, among which 80 percent voted via the mobile system.

The former DP, in order to win an upper hand in this year’s elections, united last month with the civic group-based Citizen Integration Party.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)