Former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum announced on the 9th that he will not run in the 21st presidential election. Having served as the last Prime Minister under the Moon Jae-in administration, Kim has been considered a candidate for the progressive camp who is not aligned with Lee Jae-myung. Although he has been evaluated as having appeal among centrist and conservative voters, it appears he decided not to run considering the party's parliamentary strength and regional organizations.
On the same day, Kim posted on Facebook that he has continuously argued that "this presidential election should become a turning point for constitutional reform, leading to a larger Democratic Party and completely ending internal strife in order to advance to a new Republic of Korea," adding that he has decided not to participate in this Democratic Party primary.
Kim stated, "The Constitutional Court's ruling on the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol is a victory for the great people and the starting point for restoring democratic constitutional order," noting that he will work alongside the public for regime change and the progress of a newly united Republic of Korea.
With Kim's decision not to run, the Democratic Party primary is now likely to be a four-way race among Lee, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon, former lawmaker Kim Du-kwan, and former South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kyung-soo. Earlier, both former lawmaker Kim and Governor Kim declared their candidacies the day before and on the same day, respectively.