Yoo In-tae: "Han, the Typical Civil Servant... Unlikely to Have Political Ambition"
Park Ji-won: "Both Han Duck-soo and His Wife Are Ambitious in Politics"
Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is delivering a national address at the Government Seoul Office on the 4th, following the Constitutional Court's ruling to dismiss President Yoon Seok-yeol. Prime Minister's Office
As speculation grows about Han Duck-soo, Acting President and Prime Minister, potentially running in the presidential election, attention is focused on the contrasting predictions from veteran politicians.
On the 11th, Yoo In-tae, former Secretary-General of the National Assembly and a high school classmate of Acting President Han, predicted on SBS Radio, "I know Acting President Han well, and since he embodies the typical civil servant image, he will not run in the presidential election." He added, "There is controversy over whether the appointment of a constitutional court justice by the president is an active exercise of power, but Han is not the type to cause such controversies."
On the other hand, Kim Yoon-duk, Secretary-General of the Democratic Party of Korea, saw the possibility as open. On the previous day’s CBS program 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' Secretary-General Kim said, "I believe the possibility of Acting President Han running is open. Han Duck-soo himself has never publicly stated that he will not run."
He continued, "However, from the Democratic Party’s perspective, since he was the prime minister who declared martial law alongside former President Yoon Seok-youl, his candidacy would essentially be a card that the People Power Party is practically admitting to collusion in rebellion," adding, "I doubt there is a high chance of him running. We do not see (Acting President Han) as that difficult a candidate."
Park Ji-won, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, assessed the likelihood of his candidacy as "quite high." Similarly, on the previous day’s CBS Radio, Representative Park said, "The possibility of his candidacy is quite high. I believe it is almost certain that he will run," noting, "Currently, the People Power Party is becoming an extreme right-wing party. Acting President Han gained trust and recognition from the far right by appointing Lee Wan-kyu, head of the Legislative Affairs Office, as a candidate for constitutional court justice."
He also added, "When former President Trump asked (Acting President Han) if he would run for president, if he was not going to, he would have firmly declined. But since he dodged the question by saying nothing has been decided yet, it seems the 'Han Duck-soo plan' is unfolding as a scenario directed by Yoon Seok-youl."
Meanwhile, the People Power Party has finalized a plan to narrow down candidates to four through a 100% public opinion poll in the first primary, then to two in the second primary, and finally select the final candidate in the third primary. The candidates who have officially declared their intention to run include former Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo, People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won, People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok, former Saenuri Party leader Lee Jung-hyun, Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheol-woo, former Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy Choi Kyung-hwan, former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon, and Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo.
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