Seoul: South Korea's ruling party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo announced that the People Power Party (PPP) has effectively abandoned him, failing to recognize him as their official candidate, as reported by local media. Kim's statement follows the PPP's decision to form a task force aimed at unifying his candidacy with that of former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who has recently registered as an independent candidate.

According to Anadolu Agency, Kim expressed his discontent with the party's leadership, indicating that they had promised full support but have instead excluded him and unilaterally operated the party. He emphasized that any effort to unify candidacies should be initiated by the candidate himself.

Han Duck-soo, who recently resigned from his role as acting president, also highlighted the importance of presenting a single conservative candidate to effectively challenge the opposition front-runner. He warned that failing to unify the candidacies would be a significant betrayal of the people's trust.

The political landscape in South Korea is tense as the country prepares for a snap presidential election on June 3, following the removal of former President Yoon Suk Yeol by the Constitutional Court. A recent poll by JoongAng Ilbo positions Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung as the front-runner with 47% support, followed by Han Duck-soo with 23%, Kim Moon-soo with 13%, and Reform Party candidate Lee Jun-seok with 4%.