Supporters of United New Democratic Party presidential hopeful Sohn Hak-kyu have held an emergency meeting following Sohn's decision to cut off all outside contact.

They urged party leaders to address allegations of bribery and illegal voter mobilization during the ongoing party primary.

Sohn's chief campaigner Kim Boo-kyum says he will meet with party leaders on Friday to hear their response. He says that in their talks he will also reveal the names of party officials who allegedly have sided with certain factions in defiance of rules on neutrality.

Sohn's spokesman Woo Sang-ho told a briefing that the former Gyeonggi Province governor has his back against the wall in the fight against old politics and his resolve must serve to bring reform to wider ruling camp forces.

After staying put at his residence from Wednesday afternoon, Sohn left his home with his wife Thursday morning to visit a Catholic pilgrimage site in western Seoul, a site where early Korean Catholics were martyred in the late 19th century. The former front-runner has since cut off all contact.

Sensing a crisis in their ongoing primary, UNDP senior members have, meanwhile, issued a statement urging Sohn to promptly rejoin the primary and calling on party leaders to work to that end.

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