On the 28th, former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo stated, “With the intention to support and stand by (People Power Party presidential candidate) Mr. Kim Mun-soo, I plan to visit the nearest polling station early tomorrow morning,” indicating his intention to assist candidate Kim through early voting. After resigning from the presidential candidacy, former Prime Minister Han has not participated in campaign activities supporting candidate Kim. Han is currently under investigation for charges related to aiding a rebellion.
On his Facebook page, former Prime Minister Han shared, “It has been fifteen days since resigning as a presidential candidate, and I pray for the future of People Power Party candidate Mr. Kim Mun-soo, in line with the wishes of all of you and party members.” He added, “I have met many people who understood my decision and aided in the election, offering my thanks. Each time I met someone who supported me, I earnestly asked them to now support candidate Kim with the same passion.”
Former Prime Minister Han also criticized Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung. He expressed concerns about statements like “to prevent unfavorable judgments to our side, we will change the number of judges and the qualification requirements,” labeling such thoughts as deeply worrying threats to the rule of law. He added, “Even if such figures promise there will be no political retaliation, it sounds hollow. If people intent on overturning the legal system and disturbing the order gain more power, economic prosperity and national unity will be difficult to achieve.”
Having announced a presidential run as an independent, Han joined the People Power Party on the 11th but accepted the results of a party member vote against replacing the candidate. Although he stated he would help where he can, he refused to join the election campaign committee and did not participate in joint campaign rallies during the official election period. A representative from Han’s camp, when contacted, mentioned there were no set plans regarding his election support activities.
On the 27th, it was revealed that Han received a travel ban from the police investigating the illegal martial law incident on December 3. Han is under investigation for allegedly participating in a cabinet meeting and supporting a rebellion when former President Yoon declared illegal martial law on December 3 last year. The police’s special investigation unit on martial law retrieved and analyzed CCTV footage from the presidential office and found discrepancies with past testimonies given to the police by individuals including Han, leading to his summons for investigation on the 26th.