Former four-time lawmaker Na Kyung-won has announced her decision not to run for the People Power Party’s (PPP) leadership position, turning what was once a dynamic race that could have resulted in various outcomes and controversy into what seems like a straightforward two-man contest.

Kim Gi-hyeon is currently the heavy favorite to lead South Korea’s ruling party. Kim is a long-time conservative politician who began his career in 2003 as a spokesperson for the Grand National Party — one of the PPP’s previous incarnations. He also served as mayor of Ulsan from 2014 to 2018 and as the PPP’s interim leader from April to June 2021. In 2022, Yoon chose Kim to serve as his special envoy to the EU.