Yoon’s rift sets stage for Kim-Han showdown for PPP candidacy

Former Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo and former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon (listed alphabetically) have advanced to the final round of the party’s second preliminary presidential primary (cut-off round). With Kim, a member of the anti-impeachment faction, and Han, from the pro-impeachment camp, both making it to the final, the race has effectively become a showdown over the impeachment issue. Fierce debate is expected to continue over the legitimacy of former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s declaration of martial law and the broader controversy surrounding impeachment, leading up to the final candidate selection on May 3.

People Power Party Election Committee Chair Hwang Woo-yeo announced the second-round primary results on Tuesday. Although a candidate would have been confirmed as the final nominee with a majority of votes in this round, no candidate secured over 50%. Of the four candidates, pro-impeachment lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo and anti-impeachment former Daegu mayor Hong Joon-pyo were eliminated. The second cut-off round was determined by a combination of 50% party member votes and 50% public opinion polling. The public was limited to PPP supporters and independents to prevent strategic raiding from opposition supporters.

The advancement of anti-impeachment Kim and pro-impeachment Han suggests that voters gravitated toward the candidates with the clearest stance on the issue. Kim gained recognition last December for refusing to bow in apology, alone among ministers, in response to demands from the Democratic Party at a plenary session—solidifying his position as a symbolic figure of the anti-impeachment faction. Han, on the other hand, as party leader during the martial law period, had encouraged lawmakers to vote for lifting martial law and supported the impeachment motion.

The ruling party will hold its final round of voting from May 1 to 2, combining party member votes and public opinion polls at a 50:50 ratio, with the final nominee to be announced on May 3. This final round will follow the same format as the second cut-off.


조권형기자 buzz@donga.com