South Korea’s conservatives fail to swap presidential candidates in chaotic U-turn
The party reinstated Kim Moon-soo’s candidacy after an unsuccessful attempt to replace him with ex-PM Han Duck-soo
South Korea’s People Power Party (PPP) registered former labour minister Kim Moon-soo as its official presidential candidate on Sunday, a day after it attempted to cancel his candidacy.
The ruling party has been in turmoil since former president Yoon Suk-yeol was ousted after he declared martial law in December.
Last week, Kim won the PPP’s primary to run as its candidate in presidential elections on June 3.
But before dawn on Saturday, his nomination was cancelled and the party moved to replace him with ex-prime minister Han Duck-soo, who had resigned to contest the race initially as an independent.
The attempt, however failed, when party members voted down a motion to switch the presidential candidate from Kim to Han – automatically reinstating Kim as the nominee.
“Today, I have completed the registration process for the presidential candidacy. I would like to express my gratitude to all the citizens who have shown concern and to my fellow party members,” Kim told reporters after he registered his candidacy at the National Election Commission.
“This presidential election is particularly crucial as it will determine who can overcome the current crisis facing our nation and work towards the happiness of our people,” the 73-year-old said.