Former Democratic Party(DP) lawmaker and presidential hopeful Kim Doo-kwan announced he will not take part in the party’s primary in protest of a recent rule change. 

Kim said in a social media post on Monday that he refuses to participate in the DP's primary, which has abandoned the spirit of former liberal presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun. 

He said he supports a fully open primary that allows any Korean citizen aged 18 or older to take part in fundamentally changing the Democratic Party. 

Kim criticized the DP’s election committee for scrapping the open primary without explanation or consultation with the candidates, arguing that the move effectively favors a specific contender. 

He added that he will take time to consider his next political steps for the people and the country 

On Saturday, the DP announced it would not hold an open primary to nominate a candidate to run in the June 3 presidential election, but instead the nominee will be selected with 50 percent of the result coming from dues-paying party members and the other 50 percent from a public opinion poll.