The daughter of slain South Korean dictator Park Chung-hee is to launch a bid to become the first woman to lead this Asian economic powerhouse on July 10 and is likely to pledge to broaden welfare and offer to mend relations with a bellicose North Korea.

Reuters reports that Park Geun-hye has a double digit lead over most of her potential opponents for the vote which is due in December. She will be the clear front-runner in the primary of the ruling conservative New Frontier Party.

For many older voters her name is enough, a reminder of the rapid economic growth that her father fostered as South Korea vaulted from poverty to developed nation status in a generation. But to ensure a win in December's poll, she desperately needs to connect with younger, urban voters who fret over job security and welfare and for whom Park Chung-hee is a distant figure.

"She continues to deliberate on what her message will be," spokesman Lee Sang-il said as he announced that Park would announce her bid in a public square in Seoul.