SOUTH KOREA’S ACTING PRESIDENT HAN RESIGNS, INDICATES BID FOR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

SEOUL, May 1 (Bernama-Yonhap) – South Korea’s acting President Han Duck-soo resigned on Thursday, indicating he would run in the June 3 presidential election, Yonhap News Agency reported.

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 favourite 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 per cent 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 on Friday.

A Han candidacy is certain to trigger merger talks with the conservative People Power Party (PPP), whose presidential candidate will be chosen on Saturday.

The two final contenders – former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon and former Labour Minister Kim Moon-soo – have both expressed openness to merging candidacies with Han.

The PPP has been considering various deadlines by which the merger must be finalised in order to maximise 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.

Meanwhile, with Han’s resignation, Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Choi Sang-mok will take over as the acting president.

-- BERNAMA-YONHAP