Ruling party picks female lawmaker as candidate for Seoul mayor

SEOUL, Sept. 27 (Yonhap) -- The ruling Grand National Party selected a female lawmaker as its candidate for next month's Seoul mayoral by-election, a party spokesman said Tuesday. Na Kyung-won, a judge-turned lawmaker, was unanimously confirmed as the party's candidate in a party meeting, spokesman Kim Ki-hyun said. The telegenic 48-year-old politician is set to face off against a liberal candidate who has not been named yet. The main opposition Democratic Party and independent candidate Park Won-soon, the current front-runner in opinion polls, have agreed to field a single candidate in a poll early next month ahead of the mayoral by-election. The election is widely seen as a litmus test on public sentiment ahead of next year's general and presidential elections.