Presidential race expected to heat up after this week's by-elections

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun presides over the Central Disease Control Headquarters' meeting to discuss the government's measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic at the Government Complex Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap

By Jung Da-min

The race for the next presidential election, set to be held in March 2022, is expected to heat up after Wednesday's by-elections, which includes mayoral elections for the country's two largest cities, Seoul and Busan.

At the same time, the political heavyweights of the country's liberal and conservative blocs are gearing up for the upcoming competition with their presidential bids, waiting for the results of the by-elections, which will act as a barometer of public opinion for the upcoming presidential election.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, a former six-term lawmaker with the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), who also served as the National Assembly speaker from 2016 to 2018, has expressed his intention to join the presidential race after the by-elections.

When asked by reporters during his press briefing last week if he would resign from prime minister position to make a presidential bid, Chung said he would announce his stance after first consulting on the matter with President Moon Jae-in.

"There will come an opportunity to announce my stance on the matter of my future path. But I am not ready to talk yet," Chung said.

Political watchers said that Chung would declare his bid after this week's by-elections, as Chung said he would first concentrate on completing his duties as prime minister by carrying out policies to contain the spread of COVID-19 and boost the economy dragged down by the pandemic.

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, who is recently leading polls of potential presidential candidates, casts his ballot at a polling station in Seoul's Seodaemun District, Friday, the first day of the two days of early voting for the April 7 by-elections. Yonhap

Meanwhile, the major political parties are expected to carry out a reshuffling of their leadership, regardless of the by-election results. The party that wins the by-elections may gain a boost in fielding a presidential candidate, while the losing side could face a political crisis.

If the DPK loses, the party's election committee chief, Lee Nak-yon, former prime minister to Moon and former DPK chief, will lose political ground. He has already been losing public support in polls concerning the popularity of potential presidential candidates.

Recent polls showed former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl's soaring popularity. A survey by local pollster Realmeter of 2,547 adults, conducted in the fourth week of March, showed that public support for Yoon as the country's next leader surged to a record high of 34.4 percent. Yoon was followed by Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, a DPK member, who garnered 21.4 percent support, and Lee Nak-yon, with 11.9 percent.

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