Final People Power Party Presidential Candidate to Be Decided Today
Convention Hall Filled with Enthusiastic Supporters
Kwon Youngse: "We Must Unite as One to Win the Presidential Election"
The 5th People Power Party convention to select the final presidential candidate was held on the afternoon of May 2 at KINTEX in Ilsan, Goyang. The People Power Party primary, which began with eight candidates on April 16, was narrowed down to Kim Moonsu and Han Donghoon (listed in alphabetical order) after two rounds of cutoffs, and on this day, the final candidate will be selected.
Kwon Youngse, chairman of the People Power Party Emergency Response Committee, said in his opening remarks at the convention, "This presidential election is one we absolutely cannot afford to lose, and must not lose," adding, "There is only one path to victory in the presidential election: for us to unite as one."
People Power Party presidential primary candidates Han Donghoon and Kim Moonsu greet attendees on the 3rd at the party convention held at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, to select the final presidential candidate for the People Power Party. Photo by Yonhap News
Chairman Kwon emphasized, "No matter who is chosen as our party's candidate today, we remain united as one," and added, "Acceptance of the result, unity, dignity, and determination?these are our greatest strengths."
He went on to say, "Lee Jaemyung is someone who seeks the presidency to avoid going to prison," and described him as "a politician unfit for office, who already has four criminal convictions, with a fifth recently confirmed."
He continued, "The Democratic Party gave Lee Jaemyung a communist-style unanimous vote. You may have heard of a stone bed with five stars, but have you ever heard of a presidential candidate with five stars?"
Kwon Seongdong, floor leader of the People Power Party, said, "The People Power Party has fallen short. We were weak. We failed to unite as one," and apologized, saying, "As the ruling party, we failed to guide the government in the right direction, and we did not properly stand up to the runaway opposition."
Floor leader Kwon also criticized Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jaemyung, stating, "When the Supreme Court returned a not-guilty verdict, he took out his anger by pushing for the impeachment of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and the Prosecutor General," and emphasized, "Is this not a parliamentary coup?"
He added, "Lee Jaemyung will go down in history not only as the father of the Democratic Party, but as the father of impeachment and the father of parliamentary dictatorship," and said, "That is why our People Power Party must win on June 3."
Lee Heonseung, chair of the People Power Party convention, also stressed unity, saying, "You are Han Donghoon, and you are Kim Moonsu."
Chair Lee raised his voice, saying, "The absolute majority party is trying to wield its power in the National Assembly and change every law as it pleases. If Lee Jaemyung becomes president, he will not be able to exercise the presidential veto. We must absolutely regain power."
The supporters of the two candidates are sharply divided between those opposed to impeachment (bantan) and those in favor of impeachment (chantan), and since the gap in approval ratings is not large, the venue was filled with tension and enthusiastic support even before the vote counting began.
Former leader Han and former minister Kim greeted delegates and party officials from across the country by making a round of the convention hall before entering. As the two candidates raised their hands in greeting, supporters cheered, each chanting the names Han Donghoon and Kim Moonsu.
Other figures who competed in the primary but were eliminated, such as lawmakers Ahn Cheolsoo and Na Kyungwon, former lawmaker Yang Hyangja, and Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeongbok, also attended the convention to support the two candidates.
To maintain excitement and suspense, the People Power Party primary election committee did not disclose candidate rankings or vote percentages during the first and second rounds of the primary. However, since there was no candidate with a majority in the second round, which narrowed the field from four to two, it is expected that the difference in votes between former minister Kim and former leader Han will not be significant.
People Power Party presidential primary candidates Han Donghoon and Kim Moonsu are embracing at the party convention held on the 3rd at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, to select the final presidential candidate of the People Power Party. Photo by Yonhap News
The final primary on this day was conducted using a combination of electoral college voting (50%) and public opinion polling (50%). Of the 764,853 party member electors, 402,481 (52.62%) participated in the automated response system (ARS) vote.
Based on these results, the candidate who receives the most votes between Kim Moonsu and Han Donghoon will be selected as the final candidate. The results are scheduled to be announced at around 3:46 p.m. on this day.
Former minister Kim expressed opposition to impeachment during the impeachment proceedings against former President Yoon Sukyeol. In contrast, former leader Han not only led the vote in the National Assembly to demand the lifting of martial law as the People Power Party leader during the state of emergency, but also supported the impeachment of former President Yoon.
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