The liberal Democratic Party of Korea in South Korea chose a new floor leader on Thursday, indicating that the party is moving in a new direction ahead of municipal elections in June this year.

Rep. Park Hong-keun, a liberal member who has served three terms in the National Assembly, was voted as the next floor leader during a general meeting of Democratic Party MPs in the National Assembly on Tuesday. In a run-off election, he was victorious over Rep. Park Kwang-on.

A competition between forces around former Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung and former Democratic Party Chairman Lee Nak-yon was generally portrayed as the driving cause behind the floor leader election.

The Park Hong-keun circle, which included Lee Jae-myung, was commonly perceived to be comprised of members since Park worked as Lee's chief of staff throughout the presidential campaign. Park Kwang-on has been widely regarded as a major member of the Lee Nak-yon group of friends.

With the outcome on Thursday, the party has virtually chosen to put an end to its internal squabble and rally around Lee Jae-myung and his aides in preparation for the next municipal elections.

Many anticipated Lee Jae-myung to remain in the background for at least many months following his loss in the presidential election, but the tide has altered in such a way that he will be able to successfully rejoin the political scene as the new head of the Democratic Party in South Korea.

Some have predicted that the outcome of the presidential election on Thursday will have an impact on how the Democratic Party nominates candidates for local elections, based on the fact that many of the key figures in Lee Jae-presidential myung's campaign will return to the spotlight and run for key municipal and gubernatorial positions.

Lee Nak-yon officially stated after the presidential election that he intends to go to the United States in June after the municipal elections, thereby putting an end to his political career following a string of failures in South Korea. This gives Lee Jae-myung and his advisers more authority in order to preserve their position as leaders of the liberal party.

Rep. Song Young-gil, a former chairman of the Democratic Party who served as a key leader for Lee Jae-presidential myung's campaign team, is being eyed as a possible candidate for the liberal party's bid for the Seoul mayorship and a potential opponent for conservative Mayor Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party.

Lee Jae-myung himself is expected to participate to the liberal party's local election campaigns and vie for the position of party chairman in August, when the liberal party conducts its annual convention, according to sources. He is therefore anticipated to vie for a seat in the next legislative elections, which will take place in the spring of 2019.

There is still the prospect of internal strife continuing, given that the Thursday election was believed to be a close battle. Additionally, a power struggle over who should be nominated for what in the next municipal elections might still take place.