Ahn Cheol-soo, a former candidate for the Seoul mayorship, will leave for Munich next week, his aides said Thursday, following his defeat in the June local elections.

Last month, Ahn of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party, said he will stay away from the political scene for a while after he ranked third in the race on June 13.

Ahn temporarily returned to South Korea last week having left for Germany earlier this month, where he spent two weeks preparing to study at a think tank, according to his aide.

As soon as he receives a visa, Ahn will depart for Germany to likely serve as a visiting researcher at the Max Planck Institutes.

His aides said that for at least one year, Ahn will stay in Germany, though nothing specific has been decided.

Ahn's party won no seats in the 17 big-city mayoral and gubernatorial races and failed to secure a parliamentary post in the by-elections held at the same time. (Yonhap)