Former PM seeks broad coalition as PPP in disarray over fielding unified candidate

Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo (right) shakes hands with ex-Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon at a restaurant in central Seoul on May 6, 2025. Yonhap

SEOUL, May 6 (AJP) - Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who declared his presidential bid last week, met with ex-Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon in central Seoul on Tuesday in a flurry of moves to gain support and consolidate forces, with the presidential election now less than a month away.

After a meeting, the two said they agreed to cooperate in forming a coalition to push for constitutional reform to change the current five-year, single-term presidency, as the country faces a "serious crisis of liberal democracy" due to attempts to "threaten the constitutional order and undermine the rule of law."

They pointed out that the excessive power vested in the presidency, often criticized as an "imperial presidency," is at the core of the current political crisis.

Earlier, Han pledged to come up with a proposal for constitutional revisions in his first year in office, finalize it in the second year, and hold presidential and general elections together in the third year, after which he would immediately step down, meaning he would serve only three years. The move is widely seen as an intent to end the quasi-imperial nature of the presidency and ensure a more balanced distribution of power across other branches of government.

Lee, once a presidential contender from the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) during the previous election, who defected amid internal strife to form the splinter New Future Democratic Party early last year, vowed to "work together to find a new path forward through joint efforts" with Han.

Their meeting came just a day after Han met with former Gyeonggi Province Governor Sohn Hak-kyu, as Han seeks to broaden discussions with various political circles in hopes of fielding a unified candidate to compete against Lee Jae-myung, the DP's presidential nominee, who remains far ahead of other candidates in most opinion polls.

Han, currently running as an independent candidate, was expected to smoothly join the ruling People Power Party (PPP), but now faces an unexpected stumbling block, as the PPP's presidential nominee Kim Moon-soo, who had expressed willingness to team up with the seasoned diplomat, appears to have changed his mind soon after being tapped as the PPP's candidate through its internal primary process.

Han has called for talks with Kim several times as the deadline for candidate registration for the election approaches this weekend, but Kim may want to drag his feet.

Meanwhile, Kwon Young-se, the PPP's interim leader, said that the party is set to hold a vote on Wednesday to decide whether it should field a unified conservative candidate.

He also urged Kim to resolve the matter before this Sunday, warning that failing to do so would be "betraying the public and party members," adding that he would "take responsibility and resign from the post if not."

The snap election, set for June 3, comes due to the impeachment of disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol early last month over his botched Dec. 3 declaration of martial law late last year.

Park Sae-jin swatchsjp@ajunews.com

Former PM seeks broad coalition as PPP in disarray over fielding unified candidate

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