South Korea conservatives reportedly agree to unify presidential campaign

Hyonhee Shin, Sam Kim, Bloomberg News on May 10, 2025

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South Korea’s conservative presidential hopefuls have agreed to end their rift, Yonhap News Agency reported, uniting behind a single candidate ahead of a snap election triggered by the impeachment of the country’s former president.

People Power Party nominee Kim Moon-soo won a vote among rank-and-file members, prompting former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to drop his bid, according to Yonhap. The two had held a series of failed talks to discuss how to unite their campaigns and avoid splitting the vote against front-runner Lee Jae-myung of the opposition Democratic Party in the June 3 election.

Earlier Saturday, the PPP convened its emergency committee to cancel Kim’s nomination and reopen candidate registration due to the failure of the talks. But after the rank-and-file vote, the PPP reinstated Kim’s candidacy.

Former independent Han served as South Korea’s acting president after Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached for his failed martial law decree in December. Han, who resigned from that position to launch his bid for the presidency, has the most public support among conservative contenders, according to polls.

Han’s campaign said he “humbly accepts” the outcome of the rank-and-file vote, Yonhap said.

The earlier rift between Kim and Han has hurt the PPP’s already-low probability of winning an election that came after Yoon served only about half of his single, five-year term. A senior official at the PPP offered to step down to take responsibility for the party’s failed attempt to replace Kim as its presidential nominee, according to Yonhap.