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Kim Moon-soo keeps PPP door open for impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol

Published: 13 May. 2025, 13:51 Updated: 13 May. 2025, 18:20

People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo greets merchants during a visit to Seomun Market in Daegu on May 12. [NEWS1]

People Power Party (PPP) presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo said Tuesday he has no plans to expel former President Yoon Suk Yeol from the party.

Kim dismissed the speculation about disciplinary action against Yoon, who is on trial on insurrection charges over his botched martial law declaration in December last year, while speaking to reporters after a campaign kickoff event for the Daegu-North Gyeongsang election committee at the party’s regional headquarters.

“Whether former President Yoon decides to leave the party is entirely up to him,” Kim said.

“It’s not right for our party to tell a [former] president to leave or not. If the party believes Yoon did something wrong and tells him to leave, then the party shares responsibility too. We cannot absolve ourselves by forcing out someone we elected president. That’s not the right way.”

“At this point, we do not plan to take expulsion measures,” he added.

Kim had addressed the controversy surrounding martial law and issued a formal apology for the first time in an interview with broadcaster Channel A on Monday.

“There are many difficulties, including economic, domestic political, diplomatic and export challenges [that martial law has caused],” he said on Monday. “I sincerely apologize to the people who suffered because of it.”

Regarding the Dec. 3 martial law incident, Kim said, “Anyone can see how difficult things are for the public by simply visiting a market. We must overcome this crisis and move forward beyond the turmoil of martial law and impeachment.”

People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo asks for support for his campaign during a visit to Seomun Market in Daegu on May 12. [NEWS1]

He acknowledged the lack of communication between the government and the party.

“Martial law is an extreme measure. There’s debate over whether it was appropriate, but I don’t believe such a method can solve problems caused by poor communication,” he said.

“I will make every effort to communicate closely with both the ruling and opposition parties and the public. If differences arise, we must work through them and focus on overcoming the national, economic and livelihood crises.”

When asked about former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon’s call for a clear break with Yoon, Kim said, “I’ll need to meet him and hear more about what he meant before deciding how to respond.”

“I don’t have a deep personal connection with former President Yoon like Han does," he added.

"Han worked as a prosecutor alongside him for many years, but my relationship was different. I served as labor minister and head of the Economic, Social and Labor Council under Yoon. We worked together on labor reforms and achieved some results.”

Commenting on the fact that Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung and Reform Party candidate Lee Jun-seok also campaigned in Daegu on Tuesday, Kim said, “In times of national crisis, Daegu and North Gyeongsang have always come together to save the country. I believe the people here know who can lead us out of this crisis, and they know it’s Kim Moon-soo.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]