Kim Jong - in , former interim leader of the Democratic Party of Korea ( Yonhap ) Kim Jong - in , former interim leader of the Democratic Party of Korea , announced his presidential bid Wednesday , joining a growing group of middle - of - the - road candidates in a country long divided by the traditional left - right rivalry . The country can only be “ set right ” by an integrated government that brings together people of varying political stance , Kim said , adding that he is the right man for the job . “ As the best mediator who encompasses many political factions , ( I ) will stabilize the country and make the people comfortable , ” Kim said . During the 2012 presidential election , Kim served as an adviser to former conservative President Park Geun - hye . He then went on to serve as the interim leader of the liberal Democratic Party . Kim also pledged to revise the Constitution by May 2020 and said that the presidency will be reformed . “ Along with the former president , ‘ imperial presidency ’ has been incarcerated . The system must be buried , ” he said , adding that imperial presidency must be addressed for the country ’ s media and prosecutors to properly serve their roles . “ The next government will band together ( with different factions ) and gather sufficient parliamentary seats to enable all kinds of reform . ” Kim says that he aims to be the leader of the new style of government that brings opposing political factions together , however , his announcement came in the wake of negative predictions and a call to join forces with Rep . Ahn Cheol - soo . Former Democratic Party lawmaker Jung Chung - rae wrote on social media that Kim will not complete the race , saying that the bid was a ploy to support another candidate . Former Prime Minister Chung Un - chan ( L ) and Hong Seok - hyun ( Yonhap ) In a radio interview earlier in the day , Rep . Kim Kyung - jin of Ahn Cheol - soo ’ s People ’ s Party called on Kim and other supposedly centrist hopefuls , including former Prime Minister Chung Un - chan and Hong Seok - hyun , to declare support for Ahn . Hong is a former chairman of the conservative daily Joongang Ilbo and the brother of Hong Ra - hee , who is Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun - hee ’ s wife . “ I would like to ask ( Chung , Hong and Kim ) to join the party and help Ahn , who is a likely candidate , ” Kim Kyung - jin said . “ On a national level , they are all valuable people . ( An alliance among the three ) would not be meaningful . ” While none of the three are widely expected to see their campaigns through to the end , they represent an unusually large representation of moderates in South Korea ’ s presidential race . Of these , Ahn is in the lead , with some polls showing his support ratings to be over 30 percent . In comparison , the front - runner Moon ’ s figures range just under 40 percent . Kim Chong - in and Chung have little support to speak of , while Hong has yet to make his bid official . However , Chung -- who served as prime minister during the Lee Myung - bak administration -- said Monday that he has agreed with Kim Chong - in and Hong to form an alliance . He also said that their alliance could include established parties . According to Chung , the Bareun Party rejected his conditions and the Liberty Korea Party had very different ideas . By Choi He - suk ( cheesuk @ heraldcorp . com ) [ 코리아 헤럴드 ] [ K - POP HERALD ] [ 페이스북 ] <ⓒ KoreaHerald ( www . koreaherald . com ) 무단 전재 및 재 배포 금지 >