Members of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea will be voting in a primary later this afternoon to select three candidates to run for party chair from the pool of eight candidates.
Among them is seven-term lawmaker Lee Hae-chan -- who served as prime minister between 2004 and 2006 under the Roh Moo-hyun administration.
He's a political heavyweight widely expected to be in the top three... and if elected, his ties to President Moon Jae-in will likely to help bring the party and the presidential office closer.
Others on the list include.... five-term lawmaker Lee Jong-kul,... and four-term lawmakers Kim Jin-pyo, Song Young-gil and Choi Jae-sung .
Some party members have called for a new generation to take the reins,... so some factors to look out for are.... how much of the vote goes to younger candidates,... and whether the chosen candidates are in favor of President Moon or less supportive of him.
Voting today will be some 400 party members,... including lawmakers, mayors and governors,.. as well as local councilors.
The top three will go on to compete at the national convention next month.