What’s Next for South Korea's PPP Candidate and Interim Leader?

Seoul, May 9 (NationPress) The ongoing tension within the South Korean People Power Party (PPP) escalated as presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo and the party's interim leader Kwon Young-se clashed once more over a proposed campaign merger with former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. This confrontation highlights the deepening rift in the conservative party just weeks before the June 3 election.

The altercation occurred shortly before the PPP was set to release the results of a two-day opinion poll gauging support between Kim and Han, as reported by Yonhap news agency.

"The imposed merger by the party leadership is merely a strategy to eliminate me and install an independent candidate as the party’s presidential nominee," Kim declared during a meeting with PPP lawmakers. "I cannot accept this." This was Kim's first appearance at such a gathering since securing the party's nomination earlier this month.

In reply, Kwon expressed his disappointment regarding Kim's comments, asserting that a "true leader, especially one aiming for greatness, should be prepared to sacrifice personal interests."

The opinion polls arrive at a time when Kim, a former labor minister, is urging the PPP leadership to halt pressures for him to unify with Han, an independent candidate, showcasing the growing divides within the party as the election approaches.

Kim and Han met for a second round of discussions on Thursday in a bid to unify their candidacies, but these talks concluded without a resolution.

The forthcoming June 3 presidential election aims to select a successor to ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, following his failed martial law attempt, with the PPP still divided over its response to Yoon's removal.

The opinion polling will be derived from a balance of 50 percent party member votes and 50 percent public opinion surveys.

As tensions rise, Kim has canceled campaign events in the southeastern cities of Daegu and Busan, likely shifting his focus to addressing the pressures from the PPP leadership and Han’s merger initiative.

Since becoming the presidential candidate, Kim has been at odds with the party leadership, which has been advocating for a campaign unification with Han.

Han has insisted on finalizing the merger by May 11 to ensure one of them can run as the PPP candidate without splitting the conservative vote, thus better positioning themselves against Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung, who currently leads in the polls.

Han warned he would not enter the presidential race if an agreement on candidacy unification is not reached.

In contrast, Kim proposed a plan where both he and Han would campaign for one week, followed by a televised debate and public opinion polls to determine the candidacy by next week.