Han Duck-soo's rejection of Kim Moon-soo's campaign chief offer signals declaration of nonparticipation
Published: 12 May. 2025, 14:28
Updated: 12 May. 2025, 18:12
![Former Prime Minster Han Duck-soo, left, embraces People Power Party (PPP) presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo at PPP headquarters in Yeouido, western Seoul, on May 11. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/05/12/93614cde-3a69-4c85-9069-5ba48a9c6935.jpg)
Former Prime Minster Han Duck-soo, left, embraces People Power Party (PPP) presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo at PPP headquarters in Yeouido, western Seoul, on May 11. [YONHAP]
Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has reportedly declined the position of election campaign chief proposed by presidential candidate for the conservative People Power Party (PPP) Kim Moon-soo.
“He declined the position of campaign chair offered by Kim,” said a source close to Han told Yonhap News Agency on Monday. “He believes that if the party wants to win the election, the person running should take on the role of campaign chief.”
As a result, Han is seen as effectively declaring his nonparticipation in the current presidential campaign.
Han held a press conference the day before at a campaign office in Yeouido, western Seoul, where he accepted the results of the PPP's internal vote and said that he would not register as an independent candidate. Immediately afterward, he met with Kim.
At the meeting, Kim asked Han to serve as campaign chief, but Han responded cautiously, saying, “It would be better to discuss what would be most appropriate in practical terms.”
“Former Prime Minister Han called me yesterday,” Chung Dae-chul, head of the Parliamentarian’s Society of the Republic of Korea, told news outlet Money Today on Monday. “He kept apologizing for how things turned out, so I ended up apologizing back.”
“Right now, both Kim Moon-soo and Lee Jae-myung seem unenthusiastic about constitutional reform,” said Chung. “I intend to push for it.”
“Han was actually the first to bring up constitutional reform during our phone call,” Chung said. “He told me he would try to advocate for it however he can.”
“He suffered great humiliation in the final decision of his political life,” said Woo Sang-ho, co-campaign chair for the liberal Democratic Party, on media outlet KBS on Sunday. “He must feel utterly disgraced right now.”
“Han Duck-soo should have at least been placed into the final four of the party primary,” said former PPP lawmaker Kim Sung-tae, on the same broadcast. “The PPP leadership’s overall campaign strategy was flawed.”
BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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