By Reuben Staines
Staff Reporter



Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak speaks during a breakfast meeting arranged by the Kwanhun Club, an organization of senior journalists, in downtown Seoul, Thursday. / Korea Times

Seoul Mayor and presidential hopeful Lee Myung-bak Thursday called for the opposition Grand National Party (GNP) to hold primaries to allow the public to select its candidate for the 2007 presidential elections.
Lee, a former Hyundai Group executive who is believed to be seeking candidacy in the election on the conservative GNP’s ticket, made the comments during a breakfast meeting arranged by the Kwanhun Club, an organization of senior journalists.

``I prefer primaries,’’ he said when asked how he believed the party should choose its presidential contender. ``Through public and transparent competition, democracy can develop and a candidate supported by the people can emerge.’’

Lee has yet to formally declare his interest in the presidency, but he is widely expected to go up against GNP chairwoman Park Geun-hye to secure the party’s candidacy.

On current opinion polls, Lee would likely win a primary run-off against Park, the daughter of former President Park Chung-hee.

But Lee sought to smooth over signs of rivalry between Park and himself, praising her leadership of the party.

He said it is entirely possible Park could become South Korea’s first female president. ``It is not reasonable to distinguish male and female. Why can’t she be the president,’’ he told the journalists.

Lee was critical, however, of the GNP’s endorsement last year of President Roh Moo-hyun’s plan to relocate the nation’s capital to the central Chungchong provinces. Lee has strongly opposed the plan and said Roh’s concerns about unbalanced regional development could be solved in other ways.

rjs@koreatimes.co.kr