Some 106 aspirants, ranging from jobless to farmers to priests, are eying the presidential seat in South Korea for the December 2007 national elections.

A commission on election spokesman Kim Young-Hun confirmed that a total of 106 people have already registered on a preliminary list since the filing of candidacy started in April.

"Probably they are promoting their faces. Not many of them will still be there at the real election date," he said.

Young-Hun stated that a new law has been created allowing anyone aged 40 or older to register as preliminary candidates but were barred from campaigning three weeks before the election.

The spokesman also said that most of the would-be candidates are expected to back out when the $530,000 deposit will be required for each candidates. The money will be forfeited when they get more than 15 percent of the vote.