Conservative politicians mentioned as top contenders for the upcoming early presidential election in opinion polls started to announce their candidacies Tuesday.
The announcements come as the South Korean government formally designated June 3 as the date of the election, following the Constitutional Court's decision to remove former President Yoon Suk Yeol from office over his Dec. 3 martial law declaration.
Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo, considered a favorite of conservative voters, told reporters that he has decided to enter the presidential race after a morning Cabinet meeting.
“I have decided to step down (as labor minister) and run for presidency, as I feel that the people want me to do so, and because I feel the responsibility to resolve several difficulties we face as a nation,” Kim told reporters.
A ministry official said earlier Tuesday that Kim was set to resign in the afternoon to announce his bid for presidency.
The 73-year-old labor activist-turned-politician was named conservative voters’ favorite potential presidential candidate by several polls in the weeks leading up to Yoon’s ouster on Friday.
A Gallup Korea poll released March 21 showed that Kim earned the support of 23 percent from respondents who identified themselves as People Power Party supporters. Kim’s popularity among conservative voters eclipsed other potential candidates, including former People Power Party interim leader Han Dong-hoon and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, with both of their support rates hovering around 10 percent.
Kim told reporters that he does not take his popularity lightly and that it was incredibly unexpected. He expressed regret over Yoon’s removal from office as well, saying that he had hoped for the former president to be reinstated.
Before taking office as labor minister, Kim served as the governor of Gyeonggi Province from 2006 to 2014 and as a three-term conservative lawmaker from the mid-90s to the mid-2000s.
Another heavyweight politician, Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo of the ruling People Power Party, officially announced his bid for the presidency Tuesday, pledging to mend the divide within the country.
Rep. Ahn was one of the few People Power Party lawmakers who voted for the passage of Yoon’s impeachment motion at the National Assembly in December.
“We must move beyond the conflicts within (the conservative) party towards unity within the party, beyond conflict among the people towards unification and a planned future that involves a development of this nation beyond chaos,” he said at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul.
The 63-year-old computer entrepreneur-turned-politician vowed to achieve constitutional reform that involves a shift from the current single five-year term to two four-year terms with the option of reelection.
Other conservative candidates are rushing to announce their candidacies as well.
Former People Power Party interim leader Han Dong-hoon will announce his bid for president on Thursday afternoon, according to a notice sent to reporters around noon.
He recently established his campaign headquarters in Yeouido.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon reportedly plans to open his campaign office in Yeouido, according to local reports.
Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo said Monday he plans to step down from his current position on Friday and announce his candidacy on April 14.
mkjung@heraldcorp.com
