BAI chief offers to resign; may join presidential race

The chief of the state-run audit agency offered to resign Monday, potentially as a precursor to a presidential bid, marking the start of another important chapter ahead of next year’s election.

Choe Jae-hyeong, chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection, told reporters Monday morning that he had conveyed his intent to resign earlier and now planned to “spend time contemplating what role I can play for the future of South Korea.”

“I expressed my intent to resign to the president today as I believe it is inappropriate to continue serving in my role while plenty of disputes are raised over my position,” Choe said.

“I apologize to the people, the appointer and members of the Board of Audit and Inspection for not fully serving my term as the chairman.”

Choe did not directly say he would join the presidential race, adding there would be chances in the future to elaborate on the subject. If President Moon Jae-in accepts his resignation, Choe would be leaving around half a year before the end of his four-year term.

The BAI chairman is widely considered to be among the potential opposition candidates for next year’s presidential election.

He has been in conflict with the Moon administration and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea since the BAI conducted a controversial audit of the process that the Moon administration followed before closing Korea’s second-oldest nuclear power plant earlier than scheduled.

The closure was in line with Moon’s anti-nuclear drive and his emphasis on increasing the use of renewable energy, but debates have lingered surrounding the decision, with opponents saying a political push may have hampered a fair, comprehensive review.

Choe’s office said in announcing the results of the BAI’s probe last year that the government unreasonably undervalued the profitability of the Wolsong-1 plant to force its closure.

Choe’s announcement marks the start of a “super week” for next year’s presidential race, with a number of high-profile candidates preparing to officially announce their bids and engage in competition among themselves.

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl is expected to officially declare his presidential bid Tuesday and start a political career, with many polls backing him as a highly competitive presidential hopeful.

He is scheduled to deliver remarks at 1 p.m. by the memorial hall for Yun Bong-gil, a national independence fighter, in southern Seoul.

Many expect Yoon to join the main opposition People Power Party, but he has not yet declared a party affiliation.

On Thursday, Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung is expected to join the race on the ticket of the ruling Democratic Party.

Lee and Yoon have been touted as the two most likely presidential candidates in public polls, and public interest has centered on their whereabouts and movements.

According to the latest Realmeter survey, Yoon had a support rating of 32.3 percent from eligible voters across the country, followed by Lee with 22.8 percent.

At the same time, Korea’s political parties are gearing up to kick off their primaries and start selecting their candidates for next year’s race.

Six people have so far officially announced bids to compete as preliminary candidates within the ruling party, including former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, Gangwon Province Gov. Choi Moon-soon and Rep. Park Yong-jin.

Rep. Lee Nak-yon is also expected to join the race soon. Former Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae announced her bid last week in an apparent effort to counter Yoon’s predominance among presidential hopefuls.

Chung announced Monday that he and Rep. Lee Kwang-jae would merge their campaigns next week to boost their alliance’s chances of winning the election. The move is seen as a means to fight Gov. Lee’s dominance among presidential hopefuls.

The Democratic Party is planning to pick six candidates to compete in its primaries by July 11, then pick the final presidential candidate for the March election by Sept. 10. A total of nine candidates are expected to compete for the six primary candidate seats.

The main opposition People Power Party is planning to decide on its candidate for the presidential post in early November.

Jeju Province Gov. Won Hee-ryong, Rep. Ha Tae-keung and former four-term Rep. Yoo Seong-min have been touted as potential competitors for the People Power Party’s presidential candidacy.

Rep. Hong Joon-pyo and the minor opposition People’s Party chief Ahn Cheol-soo have also been seen as potential candidates for the main opposition party.

By Ko Jun-tae (ko.juntae@heraldcorp.com)