Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon on Monday threw his hat in the race to be the next president of South Korea, saying “his mind is made up.”

“This year will be a pivotal time for South Korea. We need to build a new country through political, economic and social innovations,” Park wrote via Facebook.

“I have decided to follow the call of the time and devote myself to the innovation of South Korea.”

A civil rights lawyer-turned-activist-turned administrator, Park has been the mayor of Seoul since 2011, a post once considered a springboard to the presidency. Previous President Lee Myung-bak was Seoul mayor before he was elected to the nation’s highest office in 2007. 

Park is a member of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and had last week signaled his intention to seek the party’s presidential nomination.

In polls on the Democratic Party’s potential presidential candidates, he lags behind Moon Jae-in, the party’s former leader, and Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung. Neither of those two have declared their intentions.

“The 2017 presidential race must be a competition among candidates who can present visions for the new era,” Park said.

“I have always dreamed of a new era with people and lived a life for it. I have always showed it through actions,” he added, presenting himself as a strong candidate with ample experience.

By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)