‘s conservative People Power Party (PPP) has chosen former Labor Minister Kim Moon Soo as its candidate for .
Kim won 56.5% of the votes cast in Saturday’s party primary, beating his conservative rival, Han Dong-hun.
Observers believe Kim is likely to in order to unify the conservative vote as they face-off with liberal front-runner Lee Jae-myung.
While Lee may be the clear favorite to win the snap election, he faces multiple criminal trials over corruption and other charges.
In Lee’s latest setback, the Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a new trial on his election law charges.
What has Kim said about the nomination?
He presented a strongly conservative vision for the country in his acceptance speech and vowed a .
“I’ll form a strong alliance with anyone to prevent a rule by Lee Jae-myung and his Democratic Party forces. I’ll push for that in a procedure and method that our people and members accept, and I’ll ultimately win,” Kim said.
He also pledged to implement incentives for businesses and for innovation and science.
Kim served as a governor of South Korea’s Gyeonggi province and was a member of the National Assembly for three terms.
Kim was originally a pro-democracy and labor activist but crossed the aisle in the 1990s to join the conservative party.
The June 3 election is aimed at finding a successor to conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol, a PPP member who was impeached by the opposition-controlled National Assembly in mid-December.
His impeachment over his imposition of martial law was confirmed by the Constitutional Court in early April.
Edited by Rana Taha
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