Anna Jiwon Park has been covering the politics at The Korea Times since the summer of 2024, when she joined the press pool for the Office of the President in Korea. Prior to that, she spent about five years reporting extensively on financial markets, regulatory authorities and the financial industry. She joined The Korea Times in 2019 after spending eight years as a broadcast journalist at Arirang TV, Korea’s leading global broadcaster, covering politics, defense and culture.
Will PM join presidential race?
Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo delivers a commemorative speech at a ceremony in Seoul marking the 106th anniversary of the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, Friday. Yonhap
By Anna J. Park
Both expectations, criticism prevail in political circle
The possibility of acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo entering the presidential race as a candidate for the conservative People Power Party (PPP) is generating significant buzz across the political landscape.
While opinions on the matter are split within the PPP, the liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has voiced strong criticism against Han's potential candidacy. Han himself has not shown a clear stance about the possibility.
Han, a long-term career bureaucrat and trade expert, initially told his staffers at the Prime Minister's Office not to mention even "p" for presidential election, dismissing speculation about his joining the race.
However, when U.S. President Donald Trump asked him during a phone call Tuesday whether he planned to run for president, Han's response was a vague, "Nothing has been decided yet."
Supporters of Han’s candidacy within the PPP say that his credentials as a Harvard-educated economic expert make him an ideal contender in a race shaped by global trade tensions. His roots in the Jeolla region in the country’s southwest, which is a liberal stronghold, are also seen as a political asset, potentially broadening his appeal to voters there.
The party does not currently have a single prominent contender, and the chance of its winning the election is not high, given it has been triggered by the impeachment of party member and former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
PPP floor leader Kweon Seong-dong expressed support for Han’s potential presidential bid. “I think it’s a good idea," he said.
“Having strong candidates (like Han) in our party’s primary boosts the convention effect and draws greater public attention. That’s why I view it positively,” Kweon told reporters at the National Assembly Friday.
A group of PPP members is said to be considering a coordinated push to encourage Han to enter the race. One such member is Rep. Park Soo-young. "To overcome today’s major global economic challenges, Han — who has served as head of trade negotiations and ambassador to the U.S. — is the optimal choice," Park wrote on social media.
On the other hand, dissenting voices within the PPP are also emerging. Rep. Kim Dae-sik, a close ally of former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, who declared his bid for the presidency, said on a radio program Thursday, "Administration and politics are two entirely different arenas. It would be extremely difficult for him to make it through the primary."
Kim Moon-soo, former labor minister who recently declared his presidential bid, echoed similar skepticism. "Han is distant from the political world, and I’ve never even heard him voice any political ambitions, not even in his sleep,” he said in a separate radio interview.
"At a time when the nation’s leadership is unstable, it’s not appropriate for him to step forward as a presidential candidate."
Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, right, stands next to Patriots and Veterans Affairs Minister Kang Jung-ai, center, and National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik at a ceremony in Seoul marking the 106th anniversary of the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, Friday. Yonhap
Within the DPK, views on Han’s potential candidacy are largely critical because they regard the prime minister as an "accomplice" to Yoon's martial law declaration, though opinions are divided over whether he will ultimately enter the race.
Yoo Ihn-tae, former three-term DPK lawmaker and former secretary general of the National Assembly, said he doesn't think Han will run. Yoo was a high school classmate of Han.
"I know him well. He won’t run. He’s a textbook example of a career bureaucrat, and I don’t think he’ll do it," Yoo said in a radio interview Friday.
In contrast, Rep. Park Jie-won, a five-term lawmaker who had worked closely with Han at the presidential office during the Kim Dae-jung administration, said that Han's candidacy is almost certain.
"Han earned trust and recognition from PPP's far-right side by nominating Lee Wan-kyu as a Constitutional Court justice. That’s why I believe Han is aiming for the presidency," Park said Thursday, adding, "Both Han and his wife have political ambitions."
Han's nomination of the justice to the court has drawn controversy over whether he has the right to make the nomination as an acting president.
Park also pointed to Han’s recent phone call with Trump, during which Han did not deny the possibility of his joining the race.
"That, to me, signals that the ‘Han Duck-soo Plan’ is unfolding as part of Yoon Suk Yeol’s orchestrated scenario,” he said.
DPK presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung also harshly criticized the acting president, referring to him as a "coup enabler," who he said is partially responsible for the Dec. 3 martial law declaration.
"The forces that seek to destroy the Constitution — the coup forces — are still active," Lee said at the National Assembly Friday.
Rep. Kim Min-seok, a four-term DPK lawmaker, also accused Han of overstepping constitutional limits, rebuking him as being driven by personal ambition and greed.
"Now, Han is even leveraging his phone call with Trump to fuel his presidential ambitions and manipulate the media. It's pathetic that the PPP is filled with presidential hopefuls who appear to be vying to inherit the legacy of insurrection," Kim said.