Former Board of Audit and Inspection(BAI) Chairman Choe Jae-hyeong, who is considered a likely presidential contender, has joined the main opposition People Power Party(PPP).

Choe joined the party immediately after meeting with PPP leader Lee Jun-seok at party headquarters on Thursday, 17 days after he resigned from the BAI chairmanship at odds with the administration.

Choe said he felt it would be appropriate for him to join a party to become the main force behind political change, rather than holding a critical view outside the political arena.

The former BAI chief added that he concluded that the PPP should be at the center of efforts to change the administration, an urgent task in a reality where people are suffering.

Lee pledged to achieve administrative change with strategy and policies that look after people's lives, thanking Choe for highlighting the importance of doing politics with a party affiliation.

Choe is widely viewed as a potential opposition candidate to rival former Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl, who has yet to express intent to join any major party.