Rival parties' presidential primaries struggle to spark interest

Major political parties kicked off their primaries to select candidates for the upcoming June 3 presidential election on Wednesday, but the race is drawing little attention from the public due to a lack of surprise factors. The registration period closed the previous day, with three contenders from the liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and eight from the conservative People Power Party (PPP) accepted in the initial stage. Only one candidate from each party will ultimately secure their party’s ticket to the presidential race. The three figures competing in the DPK race are former party leader Lee Jae-myung, Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Dong-yeon and former South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo. The party will nominate its candidate on April 27. Opinion polls show that Lee is the dominant frontrunner, enjoying strong backing from the party’s pro-Lee faction. Lee, who had narrowly lost to now-impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol in the 2022 presidential election, has been the leading political figure in the opposition bloc. A Realmeter poll released last week showed Lee leading