12 hours Ago By Korea Bizwire
Acting President Han Duck-soo announces his resignation at the government complex in Seoul on May 1, 2025. ( Image courtesy of Yonhap) SEOUL, May 1 (Korea Bizwire) — Acting President Han Duck-soo resigned Thursday, indicating he would run for the June 3 presidential election. Han announced his decision in an address to the nation, ending weeks of speculation over whether he would enter the election triggered by the impeachment of his former boss — former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
“Thinking of the weight of the responsibility I carry at this grave time, after thinking long and carefully about whether such a decision is in fact right and inevitable, I decided that if this is the only way, I must take it,” he said from the government complex in Seoul. Han, who has been prime minister under both liberal and conservative presidents and also served as the South Korean ambassador to the United States, has been a favorite among conservatives to challenge Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the liberal Democratic Party. Lee currently maintains a wide lead over his rivals with around 40 percent support in public opinion polls.
“I have two roads in front of me,” Han said during the address, which was televised live. “One is to complete the important mission I currently have, while the other is to lay down that important mission and bear a greater responsibility. “I ultimately decided to step down from my position in order to do what I can, do what I must, for us to overcome the crisis we face,” he said, citing extreme political confrontation and the threat it is posing to the country’s economy and industries.
Han has been expected to announce his presidential bid Friday. A Han candidacy is certain to trigger merger talks with the conservative People Power Party (PPP), whose presidential candidate will be chosen Saturday. The two final contenders — former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon and former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo — have both expressed an openness to merging candidacies with Han.
The PPP has been considering various deadlines by which the merger must be finalized in order to maximize its chances in the June 3 election. To start, May 7 is the deadline by which the National Election Commission must order printed materials for the race. May 11 is the deadline for candidate registration with the commission, while May 25 is the date that ballot printing begins.
The Democratic Party (DP) denounced Han’s impending presidential bid, warning it would raise concerns over his alleged electioneering while serving as acting president. “Prime Minister Han, who was second in command under the ‘insurrection government’ and a suspect of the insurrection, pushed ahead with the resignation to run for president,” Jo Seoung-lae, the DP’s chief spokesperson, said in a written statement. “Only the people’s harsh judgment awaits Prime Minister Han, who has neglected state affairs, blinded by greed.
” Meanwhile, with Han’s resignation, Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Choi Sang-mok will take over as the acting president. (Yonhap).
