The ruling Democratic Party of Korea kicked off its presidential primary race Monday with the three-day registration of preliminary candidates.

Last week, its supreme council decided not to postpone the process of nominating its candidate for the next presidential election, slated for March 9. The liberal ruling party’s constitution mandates it to choose its presidential contender at least 180 days before Election Day in the absence of a good reason to do otherwise.

The decision put an end to a monthslong dispute among potential candidates over whether to put off the primary election.

So far nine figures have declared their intent to run for the ruling party’s presidential nomination, or are planning to do so. Among them are two former prime ministers -- Lee Nak-yon and Chung Sye-kyun -- and Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung.

A group of party lawmakers, especially those who support Lee or Chung, demanded that the primary election be put off to November. They argued that an early race could fail to draw sufficient public attention due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Tokyo Summer Olympics, scheduled to begin in late July. They also said the election of the main opposition People Power Party’s presidential candidate, which is slated for November, could steal the show if the ruling party’s standard-bearer were selected too early.

But an ulterior motive seemed to underlie their calls for the postponement of the primary: the desire for more time for the two former prime ministers to catch up with the front-runner, Gyeonggi Gov. Lee. Not surprisingly, the request met with fierce objections by the provincial governor, who has led ruling bloc rivals in recent opinion polls by an overwhelming margin.

It was reasonable for the ruling party’s supreme council to decide not to delay the primary race.

Reasons cited for the postponement appeared expedient rather than inevitable. A failure to garner sufficient attention from the public might have less to do with the timing of the primary race than the detachment of prevailing voter sentiment from the agendas set forth by the party’s presidential contenders.

Starting July 9, the party will hold a three-day preliminary primary in which the top six eligible candidates will be chosen based on a 50-50 survey of the general public and party members. The final standard-bearer is set to be elected at a party convention scheduled for Sept. 5. If no candidate secures a majority, a runoff will be held between the top two finalists no later than Sept. 10.

Gyeonggi Gov. Lee will go all out to grab the party’s presidential ticket in the first round of voting. Other contenders, including the two former prime ministers, are likely to form a coalition to beat the front-runner in the runoff election.

Mainstream members of the ruling party, who are loyal to President Moon Jae-in, have done little to hide their antipathy toward Gov. Lee, a former lawyer who served as mayor of Seongnam before he was elected to the gubernatorial post in 2018. The rift dates back to the 2017 presidential primary, during which Lee, then an underdog contender, ferociously challenged Moon using harsh rhetoric.

With no experience as a lawmaker, Gov. Lee faces the thorny task of keeping a delicate balance in his relationship with Moon, who under the Constitution is prohibited from seeking reelection.

To get the party’s presidential nomination, the governor may feel the need to avoid becoming too estranged from its pro-Moon members.

Setting his sights on March’s presidential vote, however, he needs to differentiate his position from that of the Moon government, whose ill-conceived policies have been criticized for sending house prices soaring, exacerbating the unemployment problem and widening income inequality. Gov. Lee should also draw the line when it comes to corruption and other misconduct involving Moon’s close associates.

In a recent series of hypothetical match-ups for the presidential election, Lee has trailed behind former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, who plans to declare his presidential bid Tuesday. The former top prosecutor is expected to join the conservative main opposition party in due time to compete for the presidential candidacy.

Gyeonggi Gov. Lee and other presidential contenders within the ruling party should focus on suggesting forward-looking visions and substantial policies through the primary race if they want to bolster their prospects as presidential candidates.