South Korea’s ruling People Power Party (PPP) reinstated Kim Moon-soo as its presidential nominee on Sunday, just hours after abruptly dropping him and reopening the nomination process in a bid to unify behind a stronger candidate. The last-minute reversal underscored the conservative party’s deepening divisions as it struggles to mount a viable challenge against liberal frontrunner Lee Jae-myung in the June 3 snap election.
Kim, a former labor minister, welcomed the decision, which came after an internal party poll determined whether he should be replaced by Han Duck-soo, a former prime minister who entered the race late.
"Now everything will fall into place," Kim said in a statement, vowing to unify the party and build a broad coalition against Lee, the nominee of the opposition Democratic Party (DP).
Kim was initially selected as the PPP’s candidate in a party convention a week ago. However, party leaders—concerned about his low poll numbers—pushed for Han, who had declined to participate in the nomination process while still serving as prime minister.
Kim resisted pressure to step aside, openly clashing with PPP leadership and filing legal challenges to block the party from reopening nominations. On Friday, a court rejected his injunction request, allowing the party to proceed with a new vote.
On Saturday, Kim accused the PPP of staging a "political coup" and declared that "democracy within our party died." Yet, hours later, party members voted narrowly to retain him as the nominee.
"This presidential election is particularly crucial as it will determine who can overcome the current crisis facing our nation and work toward the happiness of our people," Kim, 73, told reporters after registering his candidacy. "I pledge to do my utmost to secure victory."
Han, who resigned as prime minister last week to join the race, conceded defeat and congratulated Kim, stating, "Now, I am stepping back from everything and returning to the life of an ordinary citizen."
The PPP’s infighting has overshadowed policy debates, leaving the party lagging in polls. According to a recent National Barometer Survey, Lee leads Kim 43% to 29% in a hypothetical two-way race. Han fared slightly better at 34%, but still trailed Lee’s 44%.
Lee, a former governor facing multiple criminal trials, has already begun rolling out policy proposals on business and national security. Meanwhile, the PPP—still reeling from the April impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol—faces an uphill battle to regain public trust.
With the official campaign period beginning Monday, Kim must now rally a fractured party behind him—or risk a decisive defeat.