SEOUL-- A former head of the state audit agency joined the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Thursday in a move widely seen as a step toward running for the presidency.

Choe Jae-hyeong, the former chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), expressed his intention to join the biggest conservative party during his meeting with party Chairman Lee Jun-seok earlier in the day and officially became a member in a following ceremony.

The move came less than one month after Choe stepped down as BAI chief in late June, six months ahead of the end of his term, hinting at his ambition to run in the March 9 presidential election.

"I will repay the people with fine politics," Choe told reporters following the meeting. "The center of the most important task against the backdrop of all the nation's suffering, a change of the government, should be the main opposition PPP."

Choe vowed to "dedicate all I have" to make a nation where young people can come out of today's grim reality and dream again.

"The country now is too divided ... people are worried about where our country's future is headed," he said, adding, "I have many questions about whether the policies being pursued by the sitting government are sustainable."

He named "new changes and co-existence" as the core values for his future political career.

The former BAI chief had been at odds with Cheong Wa Dae since the agency's controversial audit last year on the Moon administration's decision to close the Wolsong-1 reactor at an early date.

The closure was in line with Moon's campaign to phase out the country's use of nuclear energy in favor of renewable ones.

In the latest poll on most favored presidential hopefuls by Realmeter released earlier in the day, Choe came in fifth with 4.2 percent of support.

Choe's registration with the PPP was mostly received positively among party members, especially as former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, a leading presidential contender among the opposition bloc, continues to stay vague on whether he plans to join the main opposition and compete in its primary.

Including Choe, the PPP now has a roster of 10 members who have either officially declared or reportedly plan on making a presidential bid announcement.

Following Choe's joining of the PPP, most observers expect Yoon to continue with his independent campaign for the time being to bolster his standing within the overall presidential race.

Source: Yonhap News Agency