Shunned by key figures, PPP candidate struggles to unite campaign

Kim Moon-soo, presidential candidate of the People Power Party, campaigns near Sinjeong Market in Nam District, Ulsan, Tuesday. Yonhap

People Power Party (PPP) presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo officially launched his campaign this week, but early efforts to unite the conservatives have already encountered setbacks.

Key party heavyweights, including former acting President Han Duck-soo and ex-PPP leader Han Dong-hoon, have distanced themselves from his election committee, deepening concerns over the campaign’s cohesion.

Their absence highlights the fragile state of Kim’s leadership.

While he has sought to present himself as a unifying figure after a bruising nomination battle, doubts remain over his ability to bring together a fractured party — especially with less than three weeks to go before the June 3 election.

While Kim is widely respected in conservative circles for his austere and principled reputation, he remains burdened by his association with far-right figures. His longstanding ties to firebrand pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon, with whom he co-founded the Liberty Unification Party in 2020, continue to complicate efforts to appeal to moderate voters. During his opening campaign speech, Kim invoked the slogan “free unification,” a phrase long associated with hardline activists, reinforcing criticisms that he has failed to moderate his platform.

Seeking to broaden his appeal, Kim appointed 35-year-old lawmaker Kim Yong-tae to lead the party’s emergency steering committee. The move was seen as an effort to revitalize the campaign’s image and introduce new blood into the political arena. In his inaugural remarks, the younger Kim acknowledged public frustration regarding the martial law fiasco initiated by recently impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol, and pledged a more accountable and forward-looking campaign.

Kim also issued a rare apology, saying he was “truly sorry for the pain caused by the martial law attempt.” Still, critics argue that the apology rings hollow as long as he refuses to clearly distance himself from Yoon. Calls within the party to formally expel the former president have grown louder, but Kim has yet to endorse such a move, instead opting for calibrated messaging aimed at preserving party unity within the conservative base.

Pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church speaks at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, in this April 5 photo. Yonhap

Adding to the candidate’s mounting challenges is the conspicuous absence of the so-called “Han-Han” bloc. Han Duck-soo reportedly declined a request to serve as campaign chair, while Han Dong-hoon issued a public ultimatum demanding that Kim sever ties with Yoon loyalists. In a recent social media post, Han warned that failing to do so would reduce the campaign to “a proxy war on behalf of a disgraced presidency.”

Kim’s position has been further weakened by Reform Party candidate Lee Jun-seok’s refusal to consider any form of conservative unification. In a press briefing, Lee flatly stated that “joining hands with those who defended martial law makes a majority win impossible,” thereby dismissing speculation of a last-minute conservative alliance. Although Kim has made repeated overtures, Lee’s stance has remained firm, leaving the PPP in a difficult position heading into the final weeks of the election race.

Recent polling data underscores the scale of the challenge. A Realmeter poll, commissioned by Energy Economic News and conducted nationwide from Wednesday to Friday among 1,508 adults, showed Lee Jae-myung leading a hypothetical three-way race with 52.1 percent support, followed by Kim Moon-soo at 31.1 percent and Lee Jun-seok at 6.3 percent. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

Although Kim’s campaign has tried to reframe the race as a referendum on Lee Jae-myung, persistent internal divisions and ambiguity over the Yoon administration’s legacy have made it difficult to build momentum. Some PPP insiders now warn that Kim risks alienating both the party’s traditional base and the centrist voters he needs to secure victory.

More details on these surveys are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.