Latest news with #anti-Lee
Korea Herald
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Kim fights to unite the right as conservatives defect to Lee
Presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung is widening his political tent, drawing in a wave of conservative defectors as his rival candidate, Kim Moon-soo, scrambles to unify a fractured party and revive a faltering bid to forge an anti-Lee alliance beyond party lines. With just two weeks to go until South Korea's early presidential election on June 3, the two leading contenders, Lee representing the liberal Democratic Party of Korea and Kim the conservative People Power Party, are charting sharply divergent campaign strategies. This week, momentum appeared to shift in Lee's favor, as the Democratic Party grew visibly energized by a string of public endorsements from conservative figures, particularly from the minor New Reform Party. Her Eun-a, former leader of the New Reform Party and a former spokesperson for the People Power Party, publicly endorsed Lee on Monday by joining his outdoor campaign rally in Seoul. The former leader said her decision was driven by disenchantment after joining the People Power Party and later leaving to co-found a third party with Lee Jun-seok, the New Reform Party's presidential candidate, "aspiring to a reformed conservatism." Moon Byeong-ho, another former lawmaker from the New Reform Party, told local media he plans to declare his support for Lee later this week. Former lawmaker Kim Yong-nam from the same party endorsed Lee by attending his campaign rally in Gwangju on May 17. Rep. Kim Sang-wook, who defected from the People Power Party in early May, also formally joined the Democratic Party on Monday, marking a symbolic shift in the presidential race. Rep. Yun Ho-jung, general manager of the Democratic Party's election committee, said Tuesday that the "Democratic Party's big-tent coalition is steadily expanding' during a meeting of senior campaign officials held at the party's headquarters in Yeouido. Speaking at the meeting, Rep. Kang Hoon-sik, director of the campaign situation room, also underscored "Candidate Lee Jae-myung's big-tent campaign for national unity — the so-called 'Myeong Tent' — is taking shape." 'It is also an appeal to stop distinguishing between conservatives and progressives to achieve unity and overcome the crisis in a divided Republic of Korea," Kang said referring to South Korea by its official name. Another prominent figure supporting Lee Jae-myung is Lee Seok-hyun, former deputy speaker of the National Assembly, who had aligned with former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon in opposition to Lee Jae-myung and co-founded the New Future Democratic Party in February 2024. Lee Seok-hyun announced his departure from the party on May 17, saying 'This is a time when democratic forces must unite firmly around candidate Lee Jae-myung." Conservative groups have also crossed party lines to endorse Lee Jae-myung. Seven organizations of former President Park Geun-hye's supporters declared their backing for Lee and subsequently joined the Democratic Party on Monday. A group of supporters of former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo also announced in mid-May that they would publicly endorse Lee. Across the aisle, the People Power Party is accelerating efforts to unify around Kim Moon-soo within its own ranks. Former party leader Han Dong-hoon officially launched his on-the-ground support for Kim's campaign, kicking off a nationwide tour in Busan on Tuesday, following former disgraced President Yoon Suk Yeol's departure from the party on Saturday. Han, who lost to Kim in the final one-on-one primary match and had drawn a line on key issues — including redefining the party's ties with Yoon and explicitly opposing martial law declaration by Yoon — had previously refrained from voicing his endorsement for Kim. The People Power Party's special delegation also flew to Hawaii, where they met with Hong Joon-pyo on Sunday and delivered a letter from Kim seeking support for Kim's campaign. Rep. Kim Dae-shik said he would meet with Hong again on Monday to 'have concrete discussions' on matters including joining Kim Moon-soo's campaign, during an interview with local broadcaster Channel A's radio program aired Tuesday. However, the People Power Party has made little progress in building an anti–Lee Jae-myung coalition outside the party encompassing the New Reform Party and New Future Democratic Party. Candidate Lee Jun-seok of the New Reform Party, currently polling in third place, on Tuesday once again dismissed the possibility of unifying candidacies with Kim during a radio interview with local broadcaster SBS. When asked whether he would still refuse to merge even if it would result in Lee becoming the sole candidate and lead to possible victory, Lee said 'I have absolutely no intention of doing it, as the procedure and process itself would appear extremely outdated and outmoded." dagyumji@
Korea Herald
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Kim fights to unite the right as conservatives defect to Lee
Presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung is widening his political tent, drawing in a wave of conservative defectors as his rival candidate, Kim Moon-soo, scrambles to unify a fractured party and revive a faltering bid to forge an anti-Lee alliance beyond party lines. With just two weeks to go until South Korea's early presidential election on June 3, the two leading contenders, Lee representing the liberal Democratic Party of Korea and Kim the conservative People Power Party, are charting sharply divergent campaign strategies. This week, momentum appeared to shift in Lee's favor, as the Democratic Party grew visibly energized by a string of public endorsements from conservative figures, particularly from the minor New Reform Party. Her Eun-a, former leader of the New Reform Party and a former spokesperson for the People Power Party, publicly endorsed Lee on Monday by joining his outdoor campaign rally in Seoul. The former leader said her decision was driven by disenchantment after joining the People Power Party and later leaving to co-found a third party with Lee Jun-seok, the New Reform Party's presidential candidate, "aspiring to a reformed conservatism." Moon Byeong-ho, another former lawmaker from the New Reform Party, told local media he plans to declare his support for Lee later this week. Former lawmaker Kim Yong-nam from the same party endorsed Lee by attending his campaign rally in Gwangju on May 17. Rep. Kim Sang-wook, who defected from the People Power Party in early May, also formally joined the Democratic Party on Monday, marking a symbolic shift in the presidential race. Rep. Yun Ho-jung, general manager of the Democratic Party's election committee, said Tuesday that the "Democratic Party's big-tent coalition is steadily expanding' during a meeting of senior campaign officials held at the party's headquarters in Yeouido. Speaking at the meeting, Rep. Kang Hoon-sik, director of the campaign situation room, also underscored "Candidate Lee Jae-myung's big-tent campaign for national unity — the so-called 'Myeong Tent' — is taking shape." 'It is also an appeal to stop distinguishing between conservatives and progressives to achieve unity and overcome the crisis in a divided Republic of Korea," Kang said referring to South Korea by its official name. Another prominent figure supporting Lee Jae-myung is Lee Seok-hyun, former deputy speaker of the National Assembly, who had aligned with former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon in opposition to Lee Jae-myung and co-founded the New Future Democratic Party in February 2024. Lee Seok-hyun announced his departure from the party on May 17, saying 'This is a time when democratic forces must unite firmly around candidate Lee Jae-myung." Conservative groups have also crossed party lines to endorse Lee Jae-myung. Seven organizations of former President Park Geun-hye's supporters declared their backing for Lee and subsequently joined the Democratic Party on Monday. A group of supporters of former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo also announced in mid-May that they would publicly endorse Lee. Across the aisle, the People Power Party is accelerating efforts to unify around Kim Moon-soo within its own ranks. Former party leader Han Dong-hoon officially launched his on-the-ground support for Kim's campaign, kicking off a nationwide tour in Busan on Tuesday, following former disgraced President Yoon Suk Yeol's departure from the party on Saturday. Han, who lost to Kim in the final one-on-one primary match and had drawn a line on key issues — including redefining the party's ties with Yoon and explicitly opposing martial law declaration by Yoon — had previously refrained from voicing his endorsement for Kim. The People Power Party's special delegation also flew to Hawaii, where they met with Hong Joon-pyo on Sunday and delivered a letter from Kim seeking support for Kim's campaign. Rep. Kim Dae-shik said he would meet with Hong again on Monday to 'have concrete discussions' on matters including joining Kim Moon-soo's campaign, during an interview with local broadcaster Channel A's radio program aired Tuesday. However, the People Power Party has made little progress in building an anti–Lee Jae-myung coalition outside the party encompassing the New Reform Party and New Future Democratic Party. Candidate Lee Jun-seok of the New Reform Party, currently polling in third place, on Tuesday once again dismissed the possibility of unifying candidacies with Kim during a radio interview with local broadcaster SBS. When asked whether he would still refuse to merge even if it would result in Lee becoming the sole candidate and lead to possible victory, Lee said 'I have absolutely no intention of doing it, as the procedure and process itself would appear extremely outdated and outmoded."
Straits Times
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
S. Korea's Han faces candidacy deadline as his potential run roils conservative bloc
In political circles, it is believed that Mr Han Duck-soo could step down as early as May 1. PHOTO: EPA-EFE SEOUL - Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's potential candidacy in the upcoming presidential election has emerged as a key variable for the conservative bloc, with an announcement speculated to come as early as this week. The time is approaching for Mr Han to make a decision. Under election law, he must resign from his current position by May 4 — 30 days before the early election on June 3 — to run for president. Presidential hopefuls from the People Power Party have expressed their willingness to unify their bids and work together to select the most competitive candidate against Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the front-runner for the Democratic Party of Korea's nomination. In political circles, it is believed that Mr Han could step down as early as May 1, given that the Democratic Party was set to finalise its presidential candidate on April 27 and a Cabinet meeting is to be convened on April 29. The People Power Party plans to finalise its presidential candidate on May 3. The Korea Herald learned from a source familiar with the matter that Mr Han told former US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell that he was 'seriously considering' a presidential bid during their one-on-one meeting on April 23 in Seoul. The most critical question is whether Mr Han will vie for the People Power Party's nomination. If he does, he is likely to face a one-shot primary against the party's final candidate, though this would require approval from the four current candidates, who were whittled down from eight contenders on April 22. A second primary is being held on April 27 and 28, with 50 per cent party membership votes and 50 per cent public polling determining the nominated candidate. The outcome is to be announced on April 29. If no candidate secures a majority, the top two will compete again under the same 50:50 methodology on May 1 and 2, with the final nominee to be selected on May 3. The People Power Party's four contenders appear open to competing with acting President Han if he enters the race. On April 27, former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, one of the People Power Party's final four, said he would face Han in a runoff if it would bolster the party's chances against Lee Jae-myung. 'If Han Duck-soo runs, I will debate him twice and hold another public primary. If that's the way to defeat Lee Jae-myung, I will gladly do so,' Mr Hong said in a statement. Former Labour Minister Kim Moon-soo also emphasised the importance of uniting the anti-Lee forces, suggesting he would work toward a swift candidate consolidation if Mr Han enters the race. Other People Power Party contenders, including former party leader Han Dong-hoon and Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, similarly signaled support for Han's potential bid. Mr Ahn said on April 27 that should Han Duck-soo run in the presidential election, 'a primary has to be held with our party's ultimate candidate in order to finally choose a single (unified) nominee.' Mr Ahn added, 'I hope the strongest candidate to compete with Lee Jae-myung (of the Democratic Party) will be selected by the most objective and accurate process.' In a televised debate on April 26, Han Dong-hoon said, 'I believe many voters are suggesting a variety of ideas to win the election,' when asked whether he felt uncomfortable about Han Duck-soo joining the race. Although Mr Han has not yet officially declared his candidacy, signs point to a decision to come soon, with him stepping up public activities, drawing increased attention as a potential candidate. On April 23, he visited the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, reaffirming the crucial alliance and commending US forces who helped combat recent wildfires in North Gyeongsang Province — a move widely seen as boosting his national security credentials. Observers are divided over the ramifications that Han Duck-soo's candidacy could have for the conservative bloc in the presidential race, as his competitiveness in the presidential election has been interpreted differently depending on polling methodology. In an April 23-24 YTN survey of the most favored candidates in the conservative bloc, acting President Han ranked fourth at 9 per cent, behind three Poeple Power Party candidates: Han Dong-hoon with 14 per cent, Mr Hong with 11 per cent and Mr Kim with 10 per cent. However, in a head-to-head poll against Mr Lee conducted by TV Chosun over the same period, Mr Han trailed Mr Lee by 15 percentage points — a narrower gap than those of the four People Power Party options. The Democratic Party has been publicly critical of Mr Han's potential run, while its individual presidential contenders have remained focused on their own campaigns. In a statement on April 27, Democratic Party spokesperson Park Kyung-mee warned that Mr Han's presidential bid would amount to 'national ruin'. 'Acting President Han should deeply apologise for the grave betrayal that has undermined the nation's standing in less than three years,' Mr Park said. 'He should quietly fulfill his duties until the end of his acting presidency and await trial, rather than defying the natural order. If he chooses to run, he will immediately face the harsh judgment of the public.' THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Korea Herald
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Han faces candidacy deadline as his potential run roils conservative bloc
Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's potential candidacy in the upcoming presidential election has emerged as a key variable in the conservative bloc's race, with an announcement speculated to come as early as this week. Time is approaching for Han to make a decision. Under election law, he must resign from his current position by May 4 — 30 days before the early election on June 3 — to run for president. Presidential hopefuls from the People Power Party have expressed their willingness to unify their bids and join forces to select the most competitive candidate against Lee Jae-myung, the frontrunner of the Democratic Party. In political circles, it is believed that Han could step down as early as Wednesday, given that the Democratic Party of Korea was set to finalize its presidential candidate on Sunday and the Cabinet meeting will convene Tuesday. The People Power Party finalizes its presidential candidate on May 3. The Korea Herald learned from a source familiar with the matter that Han told former US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell that he was "seriously considering" a presidential bid during their one-on-one meeting on April 23 in Seoul. The most critical question is whether Han will join the People Power Party. If he does, he will most likely contest a one-shot primary against the party's final candidate, though this would require approval from the four current candidates, who were selected from the first cut-off of eight contenders on April 22. The second primary will be held from Sunday to Monday, with 50 percent party membership votes and 50 percent public polling determining the nominated candidate. The outcome will be announced on April 29. If no candidate secures a majority, the top two will compete again under the same 50:50 methodology from Thursday to Friday, and the final nominee will be selected Saturday. The People Power Party's four contenders appear open to competing with acting president Han if he enters the race. On Sunday, former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, one of the four People Power Party contenders, said he would face Han in a new runoff if it improves the party's chances against Lee Jae-myung. 'If Han Duck-soo runs, I will debate him twice and hold another public primary. If that's the way to defeat Lee Jae-myung, I will gladly do so," Hong said in a statement. Former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo also emphasized the importance of uniting anti-Lee forces, suggesting he would work toward a swift candidate consolidation if Han enters the race. Other People Power Party contenders, including former party leader Han Dong-hoon and Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, also signaled support to Han's potential bid. Ahn said Sunday that, should Han Duck-soo run in the presidential election, "a primary has to be held with our party's ultimate candidate in order to finally choose a single (unified) nominee." Ahn added, "I hope the strongest candidate to compete with Lee Jae-myung (of the Democratic Pary) will be selected by the most objective and accurate process." During a televised debate Saturday, Han Dong-hoon said, 'I believe many voters are suggesting a variety of ideas to win the election," when asked whether he felt uncomfortable about Han Duck-soo joining the race. Although Han has not yet officially declared his candidacy, signs point to a decision soon, with him stepping up his public activities, drawing increased attention as a potential candidate. On Wednesday, he visited the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, reaffirming the alliance and commending US forces who helped combat recent wildfires in North Gyeongsang Province — a move widely seen as boosting his national security credentials. Observers are divided over the ramifications Han Duck-soo's candidacy could have for the conservative bloc's presidential race, as his competitiveness in the presidential election has been interpreted differently depending on the polling methodology. The Democratic Party has publicly criticized Han's potential run, while its individual presidential contenders have remained focused on their own campaigns. In a statement Sunday, Democratic Party spokesperson Park Kyung-mee warned that Han's presidential bid would be a "national ruin.' "Acting President Han should deeply apologize for the grave betrayal that has undermined the nation's standing in less than three years," Park said. "He should quietly fulfill his duties until the end of his acting presidency and await trial, rather than defying the natural order. If he chooses to run, he will immediately face the harsh judgment of the public."
Korea Herald
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Lee Jae-myung strengthens poll lead after acquittal
Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, further solidified his lead in a presidential preference poll, following his acquittal last week of election law violations. Lee had been accused of making false statements during the 2022 presidential election campaign regarding allegations raised during his time as mayor of Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Specifically, he claimed not to have known the late Kim Moon-ki, who had been a director at the city's development corporation. Although Lee was convicted in the first trial, an appellate court overturned the ruling on Wednesday. According to a poll conducted by Realmeter at the request of Energy Economy News, Lee recorded 49.5 percent in terms of suitability as the next president — a 2.6 percentage-point increase from the previous survey conducted from March 12 to 14. The latest poll was conducted from Wednesday to Friday last week among 1,510 adults nationwide, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. Trailing Lee was Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo, who has emerged as the ruling People Power Party's strongest contender after refusing to apologize to the National Assembly for President Yoon Suk Yeol's controversial martial law declaration on Dec. 3 last year. Kim received 16.3 percent support, down 1.8 percentage points from the previous survey. Other People Power Party contenders included Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo at 7.1 percent (up 0.6 percentage point), former Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon at 6.7 percent (up 0.4 point) and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon at 4.8 percent (down 1.4 point). Among other Democratic Party figures, Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Dong-yeon — often viewed as a key figure in the party's anti-Lee faction — garnered 1.8 percent support. Former Prime Ministers Lee Nak-yon and Kim Boo-kyum followed with 1.6 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively, while former South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Kyung-soo received 0.8 percent. By political bloc, a divide in support was evident. Among Democratic Party supporters, Lee Jae-myung was the overwhelming favorite, backed by 90.8 percent. Within the People Power Party base, Kim Moon-soo led with 39.2 percent, followed by Hong Joon-pyo (17.7 percent), Han Dong-hoon (13.6 percent) and Oh Se-hoon (11.4 percent).
