Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has reportedly declined a request for a 'broadcast supporting speech' from the People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo's side. Following the failure to join the election campaign committee, he has made it clear that he will not support the campaign in the future.
According to multiple People Power Party officials on the 16th, the party's election campaign committee requested a 'supporting speech' from former Prime Minister Han's side but was rejected. A People Power Party official said, "We failed to recruit former Prime Minister Han. I understand that we received a message that it seems impossible from his side. So it has been decided not to proceed."
After officially announcing his candidacy for the presidential election on the 2nd, former Prime Minister Han attempted to unify with candidate Kim, but the nomination was ultimately unsuccessful in the People Power Party 'party member voting.' He also declined Kim's proposal to take on the role of campaign committee chairman.
Lee Jeong-hyun, the co-chair of the campaign committee who assisted former Prime Minister Han, noted, "I am unaware of the (supporting speech proposal)," adding that "it would be best to leave former Prime Minister Han alone quietly for now."
According to Article 71 of the Public Official Election Act, candidates and speakers designated by candidates may make television broadcast speeches during the election campaign period to announce necessary matters related to the policies or opinions of their affiliated political party.
Typically, the selection of a 'core card' supporting speaker, who appeals to voters on behalf of the candidate, reflects the electoral strategies and calculations of each candidate's campaign committee.
In the previous 20th presidential election, the first broadcast supporting speech for Democratic Party of Korea candidate Lee Jae-myung was made by former representative Lee Nak-yon, who served as the overall campaign committee chairman for the party. He emphasized 'party unity and solidarity within the faction' by featuring former representative Lee, who also ran in the party's internal primary. Former President Yoon Suk-yeol's first broadcast supporting speaker was lawmaker Lee Yong-ho, who has a constituency in Honam, and was evaluated to focus on 'expansion of the outer circle.' In past presidential elections, celebrities and other well-known individuals have participated, as have ordinary people with symbolic meaning.