Seoul: Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Tuesday emphasized the importance of consolidating the conservative presidential candidacy ahead of the June 3 election, amid ongoing efforts to collaborate with People Power Party (PPP) candidate Kim Moon-soo. Han, who has registered as an independent preliminary candidate, highlighted this necessity during a debate session with journalists when questioned about negotiations to form a unified candidacy with Kim.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Han expressed confidence in the success of these unification efforts, stating, “I have never imagined that unifying candidacies would fail,” though he refrained from providing further details. He stressed that failing to unify would be a significant betrayal of the public’s trust. Han has proactively reached out to Kim’s camp to discuss merging their candidacies to present a stronger challenge to Democratic Party contender Lee Jae-myung, who is currently leading in recent opinion polls.
The 75-year-old Han has emerged as a prominent figure within the conservative camp for the upcoming election, aiming to succeed former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted following a martial law declaration. Having served as acting president, Han resigned on Thursday and announced his candidacy the following day. For Han and Kim to register as a unified candidate, they must reach an agreement by May 11, the deadline for official candidate registration with the National Election Commission.
On Tuesday, Kim expressed his disappointment with the PPP leadership for not actively supporting his candidacy or the ongoing unification discussions. He underscored that he had been chosen as the party’s candidate through multiple rounds of primaries. Kim criticized the party for unilaterally forming a task force to pursue candidacy unification with Han, arguing that such initiatives should be candidate-led.
“The (PPP) leadership promised full support for the candidate,” Kim stated. “But so far, they have been excluding me and unilaterally operating the party, effectively refusing to acknowledge me as the party’s official presidential candidate.”