With the December presidential election just five months away, the ruling Saenuri Party kicked off its month-long primary today.
The five contenders vying for the party nomination are: frontrunner Park Geun-hye, Gyeonggi Governor Kim Moon-soo, sophomore lawmaker Kim Tae-ho, former Presidential Chief of Staff Yim Tae-hee, and former Incheon Mayor Ahn Sang-soo.
What is most noteworthy is whether the four male candidates will form a coalition to keep Park Geun-hye in check.
Voting will take place on August 19th.
Meanwhile, the main opposition Democratic United Party has wrapped up its candidate registration period.
The leading candidates running for the party nomination are: Moon Jae-in, former chief of staff of President Roh Moo-hyun; Sohn Hak-kyu and Chung Se-gyun, both former DUP chairmen; and South Gyeongsang Governor Kim Doo-kwan.
The party's three other presidential hopefuls are Cho Kyung-tae, Kim Young-hwan and Park Joon-young.
This leaves Ahn Cheol-soo, a popular software mogul and professor who is a potential frontrunner in the race for the country's top office, out on his own.
The first round of elections will take place from August 25th and end on September 16th.

Reporter : julian@arirang.co.kr