Hong: "I Will Accept Not Becoming the Presidential Candidate if It Means Defeating Lee Jaemyung"
Kim: "Unification Without Personal Ambition Will Proceed Quickly and Without Discord"
Ahn: "A Primary Between Han Ducksoo and the People Power Party's Final Candidate Is Necessary"
Han: "Victory for the People Takes Priority Over Preserving Vested Interests"
As the second round of voting to select the People Power Party's presidential candidate began on April 27, the preliminary candidates expressed their positions on the potential unification with Han Ducksoo, Acting President and Prime Minister, and appealed for support.
On the morning of April 27, former Daegu Mayor Hong Joonpyo wrote on Facebook, "If I become the final candidate, I will hold two debates on unification with Acting President Han and then conduct a one-shot national primary. If this is the way to defeat Lee Jaemyung, former leader of the Democratic Party, I will gladly do it." He added, "Even if I cannot become our party's presidential candidate, if I can defeat former leader Lee, I will gladly choose that path," making a strong statement.
Former Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moonsoo also met with reporters at his campaign office in Daehwa Building, Yeouido, Seoul, on April 27 and emphasized, "If Acting President Han runs, I will immediately meet with him and achieve swift and fair unification, as I have consistently advocated for unification from the beginning of the race." Kim further stressed, "I will do my best to ensure that unification without personal ambition proceeds quickly and without discord. If we unite, we survive; if we divide, we perish."
On the same morning, Representative Ahn Cheolsoo told reporters at the National Assembly Communication Center, "If Acting President Han runs, we must select the final candidate through a primary with our party's final candidate," and proposed a unification plan, saying, "I believe the best way is to have a one-on-one contest: Lee Jaemyung versus Han Ducksoo, or Lee Jaemyung versus our party's candidate."
Former leader Han Donghoon also stated his intention to pursue unification with Acting President Han in order to block former leader Lee and ensure a People Power Party victory. On April 24, Han Donghoon said that he shared the same views as Acting President Han, stating, "For me, the victory of the people takes priority over preserving vested interests." At the four-person debate for the second round of the primary held the previous day, he also gave a positive assessment of the idea of recruiting Acting President Han, saying, "It seems that many supporters of the People Power Party are proposing various ideas because they want to win, and the very act of coming up with ideas is one of our sources of dynamism."
As support for Acting President Han remains strong among the broader conservative base, the candidates are emphasizing their ability to achieve unification in order to win party members' votes in the second round of the primary. The People Power Party's second-round primary voting is being conducted via mobile voting from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on April 27, and via ARS voting from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on April 28. While the first round of voting was based 100% on public opinion polls, the second round consists of 50% party member votes and 50% public opinion polls. If a candidate receives a majority of the votes, they will be confirmed as the party's presidential candidate. If no candidate receives a majority, a final runoff will be held between the top two candidates.
Prime Minister Han Ducksoo, Acting President, is delivering a supplementary budget policy speech at the National Assembly plenary session on April 24, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyunmin
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