Legal Battle Over Disqualification of Presidential Candidate
Court Holds Rare Holiday Hearing on Kim Moonsoo's Injunction Request
Dispute Centers on Legitimacy of People Power Party's Candidate Selection Process
Candidate Kim Moonsoo and the People Power Party engaged in a legal dispute on May 10 over the issue of the presidential candidate's disqualification that occurred in the early hours of the morning.
The 51st Civil Division of the Seoul Southern District Court, presided over by Chief Judge Kwon Seongsu, held a hearing at 5 p.m. on Kim's request for an injunction to suspend the effect of his disqualification as the party's presidential candidate. During the hearing, both sides clashed again over whether the People Power Party's procedure for re-selecting its presidential candidate was legitimate.
Kim Moonsoo, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, is holding a press briefing after a meeting related to unification with Han Ducksoo, an independent presidential preliminary candidate, at the National Assembly Riverside Library on the 8th. 2025.5.8 Photo by Kim Hyunmin
Kim's side argued, "The party canceled the candidate selection at 2 a.m. and accepted new candidate registrations between 3 and 4 a.m.," adding, "Stripping a candidate of their qualifications in this manner is nothing more than an act of violence that shows no intention to uphold even the most basic principles of liberal democracy."
On the other hand, the representative for the People Power Party countered, "The announcement was made in the early morning because the unification negotiations the previous day concluded just after midnight, so there was no choice but for it to be delayed," and added, "It was physically unavoidable."
The court stated, "Fundamentally, unification is an internal party matter, so it should preferably be resolved within the party itself, without judicial intervention. However, there appears to be no provision in the party constitution or regulations that allows for the cancellation of a selected presidential candidate, and the party has not provided any explanation regarding the legal grounds for the cancellation. We are considering carefully how far the party's autonomy should be guaranteed."
The People Power Party is citing Article 72, Paragraph 4 of its party constitution, which provides 'special provisions concerning the selection of presidential candidates,' as the basis for the cancellation. This clause states, 'If there is a significant reason, matters related to the selection of the presidential candidate shall be determined by the deliberation of the presidential candidate selection committee and the resolution of the Supreme Council (Emergency Response Committee).'
Meanwhile, it is highly unusual for the court to hold an injunction hearing on a holiday, which indicates that the court recognizes the urgency of the matter. A decision could come as early as tonight.
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