Anchor: Former Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl, the current leading potential presidential candidate for the opposition, is set to officially declare his intention to run for office next week. The ruling party, meanwhile, will decide whether or not to delay its primary scheduled for September.
Choi You Sun reports.
Report: Nearly four months after stepping down as prosecutor general, Yoon Seok-youl is ready to throw his name into the presidential race.
Catapulted into the political spotlight after months of open conflict with the administration, his spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday that he will explain to the public the path he will take moving forward next week.
The announcement will be made at 1:00 p.m. next Tuesday at Maeheon Yun Bong-gil Memorial Museum, which commemorates the late independence activist.
Yoon is expected to clarify whether he will join the main opposition People Power Party(PPP) and also state his position on the so-called "X-File" that contains allegations linked to him and his family.
While the PPP would prefer a primary with all the potential opposition contenders at once, including Yoon, some expect him to delay joining the party as much as possible in order to gain leverage.
Meanwhile, the ruling Democratic Party(DP) will decide on Friday whether to postpone its primary currently scheduled for early September. If the delay doesn't go through, DP lawmakers opposed to the plan are considering convening the highest decision-making party affairs committee to overturn the decision.
Supporters of presidential hopefuls Lee Nak-yon and Chung Sye-kyun have proposed delaying the primary to allow candidates more time to prepare. They have suggested holding it in late September or early October.
However, the idea has been rejected by the party's leading presidential contender Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.