South Korean conservative party looks to change presidential nominee amid escalating election chaos
K-Pop Drama Unfolds:South Korea's conservative powerhouse, the People Power Party (PPP), shockingly yanks the rug out from under Presidential hopeful, Kim Moon Soo, just a week after his selection as their candidate, replacing him with former Prime Minister, Han Duck-soo. This curveball has added fuel to the fire in the lead-up to the June 3 presidential by-election.
The PPP's leadership's sudden move, slammed by Kim as an "overnight political coup," cemented the party's internal chaos following the ousting of former President Yoon Suk Yeol due to his botched martial law attempt in December.
Kim, a tenacious conservative and ex-labour minister under Yoon, clinched the PPP's presidential nomination on May 3, commanding 56.3% of the primary vote, trumping a reformist rival who'd criticized Yoon's martial law endeavor.
However, the stage was set for a power struggle between the PPP's leadership, predominantly Yoon loyalists, and Kim as they pressured him to bow out and endorse Han, believed to be a more formidable competitor against the Democratic Party's frontrunner, Lee Jae-myung.
Han, who served as acting president post-Yoon's impeachment by the legislature in December and constitutional court removal in April, tendered his resignation on May 2 to mount a presidential bid, arguing his extensive public service equipped him to pilot the country through escalating geopolitical tensions and heightened trade challenges intensified by US President Donald Trump's policies.
After negotiations between Han and Kim to unify their candidacies fell through, the PPP's emergency committee canceled Kim's nomination during the wee hours of Saturday, formally registering Han as a party member and the party's new presidential candidate.
The swap needs endorsement through an all-party vote on Saturday and approval by the party's national committee on Sunday, the deadline for candidates to register with the election authorities. Han, in a message shared through the party, expressed optimism, proclaiming "united, we can surely win."
Kim, expressing dismay at the state of "democracy within our party," threatened "legal and political actions," but the viable path to reclaim his candidacy while ensuring the party's support remained uncertain.
Kim, contrary to the legislature's December 14 impeachment of Yoon, opposed the move, albeit voicing disagreement with Yoon's martial law declaration on December 3rd.
Gaining popularity among hardline PPP supporters for defying an opposition lawmaker's request to bow in apology for Yoon's martial law enactment, Kim and Han have trailed far behind Lee Jae-myung in recent polls.
Lee, a self-proclaimed anti-establishment figure aspiring to tackle South Korea's entrenched inequality and corruption, was ridiculed by Lee upon hearing the news of the PPP's candidacy switch, remarking, "I've heard of forced marriages, but never forced unity."
Despite portraying himself as a populist ready to mend divisions and remedy corruption, critics warn Lee's leadership may exacerbate the country's polarization. Currently embroiled in five trials for corruption and criminal charges, Lee would likely dodge prosecution if he becomes president, benefiting from special presidential immunity from most criminal charges.
- In a surprising move that fuels migration within the People Power Party (PPP), former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo replaces Kim Moon Soo as the PPP's presidential candidate, a week after Kim's selection.
- The constitutional court removal of former President Yoon Suk Yeol in April, due to his botched martial law attempt in December, has embattled the PPP, leading to internal chaos and policy-and-legislation debates.
- Kim Moon Soo, a tenacious conservative and Ex-labour Minister, faced pressure from the PPP's leadership, predominantly Yoon loyalists, to bow out and endorse Han Duck-soo, a more formidable competitor against Democratic Party's frontrunner, Lee Jae-myung.
- The PPP's internal politics have been further complicated by the controversial war-and-conflicts and corruption issues that have arisen from US President Donald Trump's policies and Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law endeavor.
- This presidential by-election is shaping up to be a significant event in South Korea’s general news, with three major candidates – Lee Jae-myung, Han Duck-soo, and Kim Moon Soo – vying for the presidency, each with their own unique policy perspectives and pasts.
