Kim Moon-soo, the candidate from the People Power Party, has been confirmed as the final presidential candidate and is emphasizing a desire to unify the public under a 'big tent' approach, but is facing challenges right from the start.
The proposed unification with former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, mentioned as the first step of the big tent, has failed, and the suggestion to lead the election campaign committee was rejected.
Additionally, Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate from the Reform Party, and former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon have also officially rejected cooperation.
On the 12th, it was confirmed that the final list of Kim's campaign committee announced by the People Power Party did not include former Prime Minister Han.
Former Prime Minister Han held a press conference the day before at the Yeouido election office, stating he would accept the results of the People Power Party member voting, after which he met with Kim. During the meeting, Han was asked by Kim to take on the role of campaign committee chairperson. Han responded cautiously, saying, 'It would be better to discuss what is practically appropriate,' but his intention to abstain was officially confirmed the next day.
After registering as the official candidate for the 21st presidential election the day before, Kim stated, 'It is important to unify the public and gather opinions through the big tent approach by widening our party's reach,' which was interpreted as an extension of the 'anti-Lee Jae-myung big tent' concept he had mentioned several times during the People Power Party's primary process.
The list of the campaign committee also excluded the name of former leader Han Dong-hoon, who had been a strong competitor throughout the party primary. Han is demanding an apology and clarification regarding his opposition to martial law and impeachment from Kim.
Following Lee Jae-myung and Kim Moon-soo, Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate from the Reform Party, who is currently forming a three-way race with a support rate of 3rd, has stated that the likelihood of his participation in the big tent is 0%. In a press conference that day, he dismissed the possibility of unifying with Kim, saying, 'There is no way to gain a majority the moment we ally with the People Power Party, which corresponds to the anti-impeachment faction.'
Lee Nak-yon, a senior advisor to the New Future Democratic Party, also announced on the 10th that he decided not to run in the presidential election after much deliberation, saying, 'I will not help someone else's election.' He explained his reason for not participating in the big tent, stating, 'In this era of madness, where the two major parties are driving each other crazy with extreme politics, I deeply feel that there is not much I can do through an election.'
Political circles believe that unless Kim forms alliances through the big tent or similar approaches to attract moderate voters, it will be difficult for him to raise his approval ratings.
According to a preference survey from Realmeter conducted from the 7th to the 9th among 1,508 voters, in a hypothetical three-candidate match-up, candidate Lee Jae-myung had an approval rating of 52.1%, significantly leading Kim Moon-soo (31.1%) and Lee Jun-seok (6.3%). This survey was conducted before the controversy over candidate replacement with former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.
Political commentator Choi Soo-young noted, 'If Lee Jun-seok's approval rating reaches double digits, it will become a crucial variable that could change the dynamics of the race,' and continued, 'For Kim to raise his approval ratings into the upper 30s, he needs to form a big tent. If he fails to establish this structure within the next ten days, it will be challenging to turn things around afterward.'
Shin Yul, a professor of political science and diplomacy at Myongji University, stated, 'With former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon having given up on running for president, the big tent has lost a lot of momentum,' suggesting that it would be more effective to attract individuals with less extreme right-wing tendencies and move away from a hardline image to increase approval ratings.
Particularly, Kim's nomination of 1990-born lawmaker Kim Yong-tae as the new chairperson of the emergency committee is interpreted as a strategy considering this context. Chairperson Kim is prioritizing efforts to attract the 'moderate voter base' by stating that he must apologize regarding the martial law.
However, limitations are also expected. The candidate pointed out that the 'Kim Yong-tae card' may have a restricted role, given the current strong right-wing tendencies of the People Power Party.