Seoul: Rep. Choo Mi-ae of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) was nominated as the party's candidate for Gyeonggi Province governor in the June 3 local elections, the party said Tuesday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the DP's nomination committee announced the results of a primary held from Sunday to Tuesday, in which Choo secured a majority. Choo competed against incumbent Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Dong-yeon and fellow DP lawmaker Han Joon-ho to secure the nomination in South Korea's most populous province, which has about 14 million people.

The six-term lawmaker served as justice minister under the previous liberal administration of Moon Jae-in. A judge-turned-lawmaker, she has played a leading role in the DP's judicial reform initiatives while serving as chair of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee.

If the 67-year-old wins the election, she will become the first female governor of a metropolitan government.