Kim Moon-soo, a former Minister of Employment and Labor, who declared his candidacy for the 21st presidential election, and Lee Cheol-woo, the Governor of North Gyeongsang Province, were seen shaking hands during a meeting at the Park Chung-hee Memorial Hall in Seoul on the 15th, according to Yonhap News Agency.
On the 16th, Kim Moon-soo, a presidential candidate from the People Power Party, plans to meet with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon. Having already met with Representative Na Kyung-won and Governor Lee Cheol-woo, both classified as anti-impeachment candidates, Kim will now meet with Mayor Oh, who had supported the impeachment motion, in preparation for a possible runoff election with a dual strategy.
Kim Moon-soo’s campaign announced that he would have a breakfast meeting with Mayor Oh at Seoul City Hall on the morning of the 16th. The campaign stated, “We hope this will be a meaningful occasion to deeply understand Mayor Oh’s political philosophy, which has been consistently practiced with a focus on accompanying the disadvantaged.” Mayor Oh recently announced on the 12th that he would not run for president.
Kim’s meeting with Mayor Oh is interpreted as an attempt to gain Oh’s support in the primary election. Within the party, there is analysis suggesting that the votes might be divided between anti-impeachment and pro-Yoon candidates. Kim Moon-soo, identified as a prominent anti-impeachment candidate, is seen as aiming to secure support from those who had backed Oh, thereby ensuring a stable position in the runoff.
Kim continues his anti-impeachment efforts. During a meeting with Governor Lee at the Park Chung-hee Memorial Hall in Mapo District, Seoul, Kim stated, “I believe it was wrong to oppose Park Chung-hee and Rhee Syng-man during South Korea’s democratization movements,” advocating for the construction of statues of the two former presidents at Gwanghwamun Square. He also remarked, “There were no catastrophes like those under Chun Doo-hwan or Roh Tae-woo during President Park Chung-hee’s era. No one was killed by shootings,” denying the state violence under Park’s Yushin regime, seemingly targeting the hardline conservative audience.
While both Kim and Lee clarified that their meeting was unrelated to candidate unification talks, they confirmed their intention to collaborate. Lee stated, “Since candidates are decided by voting, unification is not necessary. It’s important to ensure that if Kim Moon-soo is in the lead, I will mobilize the North Gyeongsang votes to make him president, and if I am the candidate, he will support me.”
Previously, on the 12th, Kim met with Representative Na Kyung-won at a fast-food restaurant near Chung-Ang University in Heukseok-dong, Dongjak District, to hold a youth forum. On the 11th, Kim and Na together attended a “Protest Against Pension Reform” rally organized by a conservative youth group in front of the National Assembly Main Building.