Kim Moon-soo wins PPP presidential nomination

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Kim Moon-soo wins PPP presidential nomination

Published: 03 May. 2025, 16:32 Updated: 03 May. 2025, 16:45

MICHAEL LEE
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo delivers his acceptance speech after winning the party's primaries at the Kintex Convention Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on May 3. [IM HYEON-DONG]

Former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo won the conservative People Power Party's (PPP) presidential nomination on Saturday, besting former party leader Han Dong-hoon.

Kim won with 56.53 percent of support against Han’s 43.47 percent.

Kim’s nomination was decided through a combination of voting by party members and public opinion polling during the second round of PPP primaries conducted between Thursday and Friday.

Voting and polling were weighed evenly in deciding Kim and Han’s ratings.

As the final two candidates in what was originally a four-way nomination race, Kim and Han offered starkly different views on former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s removal from office early last month and how the party should proceed in the June 3 presidential election.

Kim gained support from conservatives by refusing to apologize for Yoon’s martial law decree in December last year and opposing his impeachment.

He has also expressed willingness to join forces with former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who declared his own independent presidential bid on Friday after resigning the previous day.

People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo, left, raises his hands in celebration after being announced the winner of the party's presidential primaries. Runner-up Han Dong-hoon stands next to him. [IM HYEON-DONG]

In his acceptance speech, Kim reiterated that view.

“I will create a strong alliance with whatever force there may be to stop a Democratic Party government led by Lee Jae-myung from coming into office,” he said.

Han Dong-hoon, on the other hand, expressed strong disapproval of the decree and supported Yoon’s removal from office.

The ex-PPP leader said it would be unfair for the former prime minister to serve as the conservative flag-bearer after not participating in the PPP’s primaries.

Nonetheless, former Prime Minister Han has led conservative candidates in recent public opinion surveys, recording 12 to 13 percent against the others’ single-digit ratings.

But he still falls far short of Lee, who has regularly received over 40 percent support in polls conducted since Yoon was ousted.

Lee’s dominance in the polls has led conservatives to ponder fielding a single candidate from among Han or their nominee.

In his remarks on Saturday, Kim said he would support such a move and “proceed in such a way that the public and PPP members can understand.”

BY MICHAEL LEE [[email protected]]