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Key Points

South Korean presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo met with former President Park Geun-hye in a strategic move to secure party support. The meeting took place in Daegu, a key PPP stronghold, where Kim sought to unite the party ahead of the June 3 election. Kim emphasized restoring Park's honor and acknowledged past party shortcomings during his campaign. Despite trailing in polls, Kim remains focused on winning the upcoming presidential contest.

Key Points: Kim Moon-soo Seeks Park Geun-hye Support in PPP Election Bid

  • Kim visits Park Geun-hye seeking electoral support
  • Campaigns in PPP stronghold of southeastern region
  • Acknowledges party's past challenges and seeks reconciliation
2 min read

South Korean Presidential candidate Kim meets ex-President Park, asks for support

South Korean presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo meets former President Park, seeks party unity ahead of crucial June 3 election

"Former President Park Chung-hee laid the foundation for the prosperity we enjoy today - Kim Moon-soo"

Seoul, May 24

South Korean People Power Party (PPP) presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo paid a courtesy visit to former President Park Geun-hye on Saturday and asked for her support for the upcoming presidential election, officials said.

Kim met Park at her residence in the southeastern city of Daegu while campaigning in the region, which is a PPP stronghold.

It was Kim's first meeting with Park since he secured the nomination earlier this month.

During the meeting, Park emphasised the importance of "putting the past behind and uniting as one to win the election, despite the many challenges the party has faced," PPP spokesperson Shin Dong-wook told reporters.

Kim responded that, though the party primaries were tough, he is now fully focused on working hard to win the election and expressed hope for Park's support.

Prior to the meeting, Kim visited the birthplace of Park's father, former President Park Chung-hee, in Gumi, about 200 kilometres southeast of Seoul.

"Former President Park Chung-hee laid the foundation for the prosperity we enjoy today," Kim said.

He also emphasised that the honor of former President Park Geun-hye "must be fully restored," noting her removal from office in 2017 over a corruption and influence-peddling scandal.

While campaigning in the region, Kim bowed to the public and apologized for "the many shortcomings of both myself and our party," referencing such issues as the imposition of martial law and economic hardship under former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Yoon was impeached last month for declaring martial law in December, an act that ultimately led to the upcoming presidential election on June 3, Yonhap news agency reported.

Meanwhile, Democratic Party (DP) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung maintained a big lead among contenders for the June 3 election, a survey showed Saturday.

In a Realmeter survey conducted on 1,009 adults from Thursday to Friday, Lee led the poll with 46.6 per cent, down 1.5 percentage points from the previous poll.

Support for his People Power Party (PPP) rival Kim Moon-soo also dropped 1 percentage point to 37.6 per cent, while Lee Jun-seok of the minor New Reform Party came in third with 10.4 per cent, up 1 percentage point.

In a hypothetical two-way contest, the DP's Lee garnered 51.1 per cent, trailed by Kim with 43.9 per cent. In a similar scenario against Lee Jun-seok, Lee Jae-myung led with 48.9 per cent versus 37 per cent for the New Reform Party candidate.

The margin of error was 3.1 percentage points at a 95 per cent confidence level.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
Interesting to see South Korean politics in action! As Indians, we can relate to political dynasties and legacy politics. Park Geun-hye's father Park Chung-hee seems to be like our own Nehru-Gandhi family in terms of political influence. Hope their democracy remains strong 🇮🇳🤝🇰🇷
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Priya M.
The apology for martial law imposition reminds me of our Emergency period in 1975. No democracy should take such extreme measures lightly. South Korea should learn from India's experience - we bounced back stronger after that dark phase!
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Amit S.
Why is Kim Moon-soo seeking support from a disgraced former president? This looks like desperation. In India, even though we have political dynasties, leaders usually distance themselves from tainted figures. Not a good look for South Korean democracy 😕
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Sanjay T.
As someone who admires South Korea's economic growth, I find their political instability concerning. They're an important partner for India in technology and defense. Hope the election brings stability - we need strong allies in Asia to counter China's influence.
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Neha P.
The survey numbers show how divided South Korea is politically, just like India! 46.6% vs 37.6% is quite close. Hope whichever leader wins works for national unity and doesn't polarize society further. We know how damaging that can be from our own experience.
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Vikram D.
Interesting to see how South Korean candidates campaign differently from ours. Bowing to public and apologizing for party shortcomings would be rare in Indian politics! Maybe our netas could learn some humility from this 🤔

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