What will Han Duck-soo do after withdrawing presidential bid?

Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo leaves after a press conference at his campaign office in Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap

Former acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Sunday ended his short-lived and troubled bid for the conservative People Power Party's (PPP) presidential nomination for the upcoming June 3 election. His decision to withdraw his candidacy followed a weeklong political debacle that culminated in PPP members voting him down in favor of party nominee Kim Moon-soo.

Observers say his brief and ill-timed political foray not only tarnished his life-long reputation as a rational, diligent and nonpartisan public servant, but also dealt a significant blow to the PPP’s ability to present a unified front in the presidential campaign.

Since passing the civil servant exam in 1970, Han has held a wide range of key government positions under both liberal and conservative administrations, including Minister of Trade in the liberal Kim Dae-jung administration (1998-2003) and the highly coveted role as South Korea’s ambassador to the United States and chairman of the Korea International Trade Association under the conservative Lee Myung-bak administration (2008-13).

His distinguished government career included serving as acting president following the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his Dec. 3 martial law declaration. Then on May 1, he resigned from the post and announced his independent presidential bid, vowing to "overcome the nation’s crisis."

His declaration, which contradicted his previous emphasis on “stabilization of state affairs” came amid an unprecedented leadership vacuum and triggered criticism. It was the first resignation by an acting president to run for the presidency in Korea’s constitutional history.

From the outset, Han’s presidential bid was met with widespread public disapproval. Multiple polls indicated that over 60 percent of Koreans opposed his candidacy, including nearly 70 percent of self-identified moderates and more than half of conservative voters.

Han also faced criticism for his failed attempt to merge campaigns with Kim Moon-soo, with detractors pointing to his lack of political legitimacy compared to Kim, who secured his nomination through party primaries and national conventions.

Han’s indecision and failure to enter the PPP's primary race were key factors behind his lack of legitimacy within the conservative party. Although he repeatedly emphasized the need to remain in his role as acting president to negotiate tariffs with the U.S., he struggled to convince voters why he was the right choice to lead the country.

Adding fuel to the fire, the PPP abruptly revoked Kim’s status as its official presidential candidate, citing his passive stance on unifying with Han. In a surprise move, the party had Han join overnight and registered him as its new candidate in the early hours of Saturday — a decision that sparked outrage among primary contenders and their supporters.

Han finally said on Sunday that he “will humbly accept” PPP party members’ decision to reject his presidential candidacy during the press conference at his campaign office.

“I hope for Kim Moon-soo’s victory and will help however I can,” he said.

Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, left, hugs the conservative People Power Party's presidential nominee Kim Moon-soo at the party's office in Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap

Han met with Kim at the PPP’s headquarters in Seoul and offered his congratulations after Kim registered his candidacy with the National Election Commission.

During the meeting, Kim asked Han to be chair the election committee for his campaign, to which Han replied that he must first discuss practical issues to determine “what is appropriate.” None of the seven other PPP lawmakers who competed against Kim in the primary joined his campaign.

Experts observe that through this incident, Han “completely lost the trust of the people.”

"It doesn't matter whether Han will become the chairman of the election committee or not. It’s hard to say that the unification ended in harmony even if he takes the position," said Park Chang-hwan, a political commentator and professor at Jangan University.

“Even before Han, all three of the four primary candidates from the PPP primary decided not to participate in Kim’s election campaign … In that sense, Han doesn’t have the momentum to actively step up and even if he did, his efforts would not be much appreciated.”

Park noted that the conservative party has lost its political unity.

"They are calling for unity on the outside, but inside they have no policy issues, no political agenda, nothing in common for why they should unite other than being anti-Lee Jae-myung,” he said.

“The party has forced its members to accept unacceptable things under the premise of party unity following the martial law incident. I think that is the most essential cause that led up to the incident.”