Acting Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is maintaining silence regarding calls from within the conservative camp for him to run in the 6•3 presidential election. Acting Prime Minister Han is expected not to participate in the ruling People Power Party's presidential candidate primary, which closes registration on the 15th.
However, the option remains for him to declare an independent candidacy and undergo the process of candidate unification. As the 'Han Duck-soo expectancy theory' is becoming a reality with the expansion of support in opinion polls, attention is focused on what decision Acting Prime Minister Han will make.
According to the Prime Minister's Office on the 14th, Acting Prime Minister Han's official schedule is full until next week. This week, he is expected to focus on preparing responses to the U.S. tariff policy of the Trump administration, including receiving reports on the visit to the U.S. by Jeong In-kyu, head of the Trade Negotiation Headquarters. There are still procedures left for reviewing and voting on the supplementary budget bill being prepared by the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
According to the rules of the People Power Party, Acting Prime Minister Han can participate in the primary without resigning. However, considering Acting Prime Minister Han's schedule, it seems likely that it will be difficult for him to join the presidential primary after joining the People Power Party by the 15th. The People Power Party has announced that 'there will be no preferential treatment' regarding the primary, making the possibility of Acting Prime Minister Han running in the presidential primary low.
However, the possibility of an 'independent candidacy' remains open. According to Article 53 of the Public Official Election Act, a public official must resign 30 days before an election to run in a presidential vacancy election. Acting Prime Minister Han has not disclosed his official stance on running for the presidency so far. An official from the Prime Minister's Office also noted, 'I have not heard any mention of a candidacy from Acting Prime Minister Han.'
On this day, the results of an opinion poll showed that Acting Prime Minister Han ranked third in suitability as a presidential candidate, lending more weight to the possibility of his candidacy.
According to the results of an opinion poll conducted by Realmeter on 1,506 eligible voters aged 18 and over nationwide from the 9th to the 11th at the request of 'Energy Economy', Acting Prime Minister Han ranked third with 8.6% support. This is the first time Acting Prime Minister Han has been included in the Realmeter opinion poll. The first place went to Lee Jae-myung, former leader of the Democratic Party, who received 48.8% support. Former Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo came in second with a support rating of 10.9%.
Political commentator Choi Soo-young forecasted, 'Acting Prime Minister Han is highly likely to facilitate a photo finish primary with the candidate elected by the People Power Party through endorsement at the citizens' roundtable meeting and other avenues.'
The key issue is the competitiveness in the main election. Political commentator Choi stated, 'There is also a possibility of unification with the People Power Party candidate. However, the support gap in a face-off with former leader Lee Jae-myung should not widen significantly.'
The Prime Minister's Office is also paying attention to the opinion poll results. An official from the Prime Minister's Office said, 'The support rate has come out quite high, and we are observing it closely,' adding, 'While Acting Prime Minister Han has stated he has no intention to run, there is a perspective that it would be hard to ignore if the voices calling for him to 'play a role' increase.'
Candidates in the People Power Party's presidential primary are stating that 'Acting Prime Minister Han's role is stable management of state affairs' and are opposed to him running for president. Former Minister Kim Moon-soo said on CBS Radio on the 11th, 'If Acting Prime Minister Han resigns, it will be a return to an acting prime minister leadership,' adding, 'If Acting Prime Minister Han resigns to run, there could be significant problems.' Former Mayor Hong Joon-pyo's side stated, 'Acting Prime Minister Han, who has responsibilities for national stability, cannot and will not run.'
Former Representative Han Dong-hoon said through social media (SNS), 'To my knowledge, Acting Prime Minister Han is always a person who thinks prudently and rationally,' questioning, 'What is there to gain by shaking such a person?' Lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo also commented, 'Acting Prime Minister Han is already overwhelmed by concentrating efforts to solve issues including domestic livelihoods, diplomacy, and tariff; I believe his given mission is to focus on this and ensure the presidential election is conducted fairly and properly.'
Meanwhile, Acting Prime Minister Han stated at a Cabinet meeting held at the Government Seoul Complex in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on that morning, 'Based on my experience in trade, I intend to fully utilize related networks and fulfill the last mission assigned to me together with the cabinet ministers.'
The phrase 'last mission' caused confusion regarding whether Acting Prime Minister Han was signaling his intention not to run for president; however, an official from the Prime Minister's Office clarified that 'this is not a message of non-candidacy.' The official added, 'Please understand it as a remark indicating a commitment to work diligently on tariff responses.'