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Presidential Race Intensifies as Parties Hold Primaries

News2017-03-27
Presidential Race Intensifies as Parties Hold Primaries

The major opposition Democratic Party(DP) will launch regional presidential primaries beginning with Gwangju on Monday.
 
The Gwangju primary, which will precede the party’s primaries in three other regions, will be a gauge of who will become the party’s presidential candidate, and possibly South Korea’s next president.
 
On Sunday, the presidential hopefuls from the party had a TV debate over contentious issues such as the South Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement(FTA) and policies regarding nuclear plants.
 
The former ruling Liberty Korea Party(LKP) will hold another TV debate for its presidential hopefuls on Monday. During Sunday’s debate, the party’s presidential hopefuls discussed options on the redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons, Seoul’s responses to China’s retaliatory moves over the THAAD installation, and suggestions to hold its key members responsible for the impeachment of former president Park Geun-hye.
 
The minor opposition People’s Party also plans to hold a TV debate on Monday, where its former cochairman Ahn Cheol-soo will vie with former chairman Sohn Hak-kyu and Deputy National Speaker Park Joo-sun.
 
During the People’s Party’s primary held in North Jeolla Province on Sunday, Ahn secured a landslide victory over his two rivals. Sohn came in second, while Park was third.
 
As for the LKP’s splinter Bareun Party, Rep. Yoo Seong-min secured a victory over Gyeonggi Province Governor Nam Kyung-pil in a panel vote over the debate about Seoul metropolitan area policies. It was his fourth consecutive victory in panel votes over Nam.
 
The Bareun Party plans to choose its presidential candidate on Tuesday based on the results of the panel votes, public surveys and party member votes. 

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