By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
Former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook, a presidential hopeful of the pro-government Uri Party, Thursday called former Gyeonggi Governor Sohn Hak-kyu the easiest candidate to defeat for the opposition Grand National Party (GNP).
Han, who opened her presidential bid on June 18, said Sohn is just a presidential aspirant who defected from the GNP.
``GNP supporters chose him the most threatening rival but he left the party because he got the lowest support among GNP contenders,'' Han said in a radio interview.
She added even the GNP called his desertion a hit-and-run case.
Sohn, who had belonged to the GNP for about 15 years, quit the party on March 19, criticizing the party's conservativeness.
Currently, he is the most favored presidential contender among probable pro-government candidates gaining more than 20 percent in surveys.
Two frontrunners of the GNP, Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, receive about 30 percent and 20 percent of the support rate, respectively, in polls.
On the other hand, Han praised her party rival Lee Hae-chan, also a former prime minister, as a man with strong drive.
``Lee has similar experiences of managing state affairs like me but he cause some troubles while serving as a prime minister,'' she said.
Lee resigned from the premiership after he was accused of playing golf on March 1, 2006, the national holiday to commemorate the Independence Movement in 1919 during Japan's colonial period.
She added they have different style of leadership while sharing similar policies, so the decision is up to people.
The Dec. 19 presidential election is such a crucial vote for Korea because it would determine whether the nation can leap into an advanced country or not, she said.
Han reiterated that she stood for the election to become a leader who will disentangle conflicts in the nation aiming at being a developed country.
As for the merger negotiation among liberal forces such as the Uri Party and the Centrist United Democratic Party, she said they are heading toward a grand coalition.
``They don't have enough time to hesitate and they know they cannot win the election unless liberal groups join hands,'' she said. ``They still differ over some issues but all of them agree on the coalition.''