REUTERS

SEOUL A MAN who was once imprisoned by South Korea’s former military dictator, Park Chung-hee, said on Sunday he would seek the centreleft’s nomination to run for president, likely setting up a contest with the daughter of the man who jailed him.

Moon Jae-in, a former aide to ex-president Roh Moohyun, announced his bid for the presidency, seeking to unite the fractured left in a battle that is likely to pit the winner of the left’s internal contest against Park Geunhye, the ruling conservative party’s candidate.

Moon, 59, had earlier worked in a law partnership with Roh, taking on human and civil rights cases.

Though a relative unknown on the national stage, he is the centre-left’s front runner in opinion polls, with support ratings of around 12 percent.

He hopes to capitalise on unease over growing income gaps between rich and poor in South Korea, the world’s 13th largest economy.

Moon was jailed in 1975 for joining street protests against Park’s father, Park Chunghee, whose 18 years in power were marked by both rapid economic growth and crackdowns on dissent.

At that time, Park served as first lady after her mother was assassinated by a pro-North Korea militant.

He lies some 30 percentage points behind Park, 60, the clear front-runner in the polls to be held in December. “Our society does not share the wealth of economic growth any more,” Moon told 2,000 supporters in a park near the prison he was sent to in 1975.

“A small number of rich people and large conglomerates have warehouses that are full of gold, but most ordinary people go to bed every day fretting over employment, housing, jobs, health and old age.” The centre-left had looked set to oust the conservative Saenuri Party in parliamentary elections in April, but stumbled and the scandal- tainted ruling party held on to its parliamentary majority.

Commentators gave Park, a quietly spoken and slight woman dubbed “The Queen of Elections”, credit for rescuing the conservatives.

Moon had stayed out of the political limelight until the suicide of former president Roh in 2009 over corruption charges.

He complains that conservative President Lee Myungbak has presided over growing income inequality as his mandatory single term of five years draws to a close.