The liberal Democratic Party of Korea’s presidential primary race is heating up, with a young, lesser-known candidate rising prominently on his quest to challenge an older and more established longtime favorite.

The runner-up opposition People’s Party on Sunday stepped up preparations for its primary rules, launching an election preparation committee, while conservative groups also jockeyed to find a strong candidate of their own in anticipation of an earlier than expected presidential election. 

Inside the Democratic Party, the growing popularity of South Chungcheong Gov. An Hee-jung is giving rise to hope that the in-party nomination race may have the much-desired, headline-grabbing drama, which would ultimately boost the party’s chance of seizing power.

According to a Gallup Korea poll released Friday, An garnered a support rate of 10 percent, following the former Democratic Party chief Moon, who is leading the pack with 32 percent. The party’s other presidential aspirant Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung came in fourth at 7 percent. 

The third place went to the acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, who garnered 9 percent of support as a potential candidate for the conservative camp.  

Political pundits cautiously say that An may prove a dark horse in the race, if he succeeds in capturing the mind of voters who, above anything else, want a change. The 51-year-old governor is one of the youngest contenders of all political camps and can be seen as a new-generation leader compared to his older and more established competitors, namely Moon, they say. Moon, 64, ran in the previous presidential election on the party’s ticket and suffered a narrow defeat to the current President Park Geun-hye. 

“There are possibilities of a dramatic turnaround in which An wins in the party’s primary,” the main opposition party’s floor leader Rep. Woo Sang-ho said in a local radio broadcast Friday. 

Apparently mindful of An’s rise in polls, liberal presidential contenders on Sunday heaped criticism on his proposal to form a “grand coalition,” if elected. Seongnam Mayor Lee even called him a “betrayal of the voters’ demand,” saying that An was “condoning the conservatives” that shared responsibility over the impeached President Park’s corruption scandal. 

An countered that by saying, “Whoever becomes the president, the person will have to work together with the parliament. Do not paint politician An Hee-jung who has fought for democracy for 30 years as someone I am not with this one proposal.” 

The frontrunner Moon, meanwhile, is focusing on cementing his lead into the party primary and into the main ballot, which could take place as early as in April, depending on the outcome of the ongoing impeachment trial of President Park. 

“The question I get most frequently these days is ‘Why Moon Jae-in?,’” he told a gathering of young supporters on Saturday. “I answer, ‘Am I not the best?’”

Other political parties are also jockeying for their own primaries, amid widespread speculation that the Constitutional Court, reviewing the incumbent president’s impeachment case, may finalize her ouster before March 13. 

The People’s Party launched an election planning committee on Sunday. 

“We will soon settle the party’s primary rules. As we face a tight time frame, we will likely come up with rules that are similar to an open primary,” Rep. Kim Young-hwan, the party‘s supreme representative and the chief of the planning body said.

The party is trying to attract two outside candidates into their party’s nomination race -- former Prime Minister Chung Un-chan and former Democratic Party chair Sohn Hak-kyu. 

Over at the conservative camp, the ruling Saenuri Party is struggling to put forth a strong presidential candidate after former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced last week that he would not run in the presidential election. 

The embattled party is now pushing acting President Hwang as their leading candidate while encouraging other members to participate in the race. 

The party’s interim chief, In Myung-jin said in a local radio interview Friday that Hwang’s 9 percent approval rate is an indirect sign of voter’s support for the ruling party. 

“I carefully assume the citizens are giving Saenuri Party a second chance,” In said. 

Rhee In-je, a former supreme representative of the conservative ruling Saenuri Party, declared his candidacy earlier last month as Rep. Won Yu-chul is expected to announce his bid in the presidential race on Monday. 

Another Saenuri member and former Gyeonggi Gov. Kim Moon-soo is reportedly planning to declare his intention to run in the election as well.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)