Seoul: The conservative People Power Party (PPP) has initiated an unprecedented process to replace its presidential candidate, following the collapse of merger talks between its current candidate Kim Moon-soo and former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. The party convened an emergency committee and election management body to address the cancellation of Kim’s candidacy and other related issues.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the decision emerged from concerns that the failure to unite Kim and Han’s candidacies could jeopardize the conservative camp’s chances in the upcoming June 3 presidential election. This comes as Lee Jae-myung, the candidate from the liberal Democratic Party, continues to extend his lead in the polls.

Rep. Lee Yang-soo, head of the PPP election committee, announced on the party’s website that Han has registered as a presidential candidate. Han also informed members of his formal registration with the party. Subsequently, PPP members were informed of Kim’s candidacy cancellation and an hour-long registration window was opened early Saturday morning.

The PPP plans to vote on the candidate reelection on Saturday and finalize its choice by Sunday, the deadline for registering a candidate with the state election committee. Kim Moon-soo criticized the party’s actions as a “midnight political coup” and pledged to pursue legal and political measures against what he described as an “unfair and unlawful” process.

Kim expressed his discontent, stating, “A political coup took place in the dead of night. This anti-democratic act is unprecedented not only in the constitutional history of South Korea but also in the history of the world.” He vowed to hold those responsible accountable.

The party invoked a key law clause allowing candidate replacement under “considerable” reasons, enabling decisions through an emergency committee. This move reflects a shift from Kim’s initial support for a unified candidacy with Han, which he advocated during the party’s nomination contest.

Despite pressure from party leadership to merge candidacies before the Sunday deadline, Kim proposed a merger based on an opinion poll scheduled for May 15-16. Recent opinion polls, including the National Barometer Survey, showed Han leading Kim, indicating potential shifts in voter support.

On Friday, a Seoul court dismissed Kim’s petition against the party leadership’s push for a merger with Han’s campaign. Meanwhile, PPP lawmakers have granted the party leadership the authority to potentially reselect its presidential candidate.