By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
Former Gyeonggi Governor Sohn Hak-kyu, 60, topped the first round of mobile phone voting Tuesday with 36.5 percent or 7,649 of 21,175 votes cast nationwide.
However, former Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, 54, still leads the nomination race with a combined 58,129 votes or 41.65 percent of the total eligible votes, followed by Sohn with 45,500 votes (32.61 percent) and former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan with 35,926 votes (25.74 percent).
In the unprecedented mobile phone voting conducted for four hours from 3 p.m., Chung placed second with 7,004 votes, followed by former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan, 55, with 6,285 votes.
The voter turnout stood at 70.6 percent, much higher than around 19 percent for off-line primary elections.
The party plans to conduct two more rounds of mobile phone voting between Oct. 11 and Oct. 14.
The mobile phone vote was conducted after the crippled race was put back on track after two of the three presidential contenders rejoined the race.
Stopping the boycott of joint events, Sohn and Lee showed up to a debate aired by KBS radio.
However, party officials raised concerns over a post nomination feud because the three contenders are still at odds threatening to file libel suits against each other.
``Although I lost in the nomination race, I will help the party win the December presidential election,'' Sohn told reporters. ``But the party should show strong determination to correct wrongdoings committed so far so that it gains the support of the public.''
He pledged to participate in the one-off voting as well as the remaining debates and joint rallies.
^ohn added that if he is chosen as presidential nominee, he will seek to persuade the minor opposition Democratic Party and an independent candidate Moon Kook-hyun to make a compromise on fielding a single candidate with the UNDP.
Lee, 55, who is widely supported by followers of President Roh Moo-hyun, also made it clear that he will join the one-off voting to pick the standard-bearer, while urging the party to filter out fake voters illegally registered for the electoral college.
Yet, both Sohn and Lee still want party leaders to investigate the allegation of phony registration and fake voters in which some supporters of frontrunner Chung are allegedly involved.
^hung hailed his two rivals' comeback but still criticized the two for stealing the identity of Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung and Cha Ui-hwan, senior presidential secretary, to register for the primary polls.
He proposed that the three contenders meet to discuss ways to completely normalize the nomination race.
The party, launched on Aug. 5, will announce its candidate on Oct. 15.
Rep. Chung Bong-ju who belongs to the Sohn camp said they will continue to raise questions about alleged election fraud. ``If the irregularities remain intact, some would insist the primary results be nullified.''
Also, Rep. Jang Hyang-sook, who is chief campaigner of the Lee camp's Busan chapter, filed a libel suit Monday against Rep. Noh Woong-rae, spokesman of Chung.
Jang claimed Noh spread false suspicion that Lee tried to buy votes during the Busan voting on Sept. 30.