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| ▲ Kim Moon-soo (3rd from R), former labor minister and three-term lawmaker, announces his bid to run for president in the June 3 election during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul on April 9, 2025. (Yonhap) |
ex-labor minister-presidential bid
Labor activist-turned-conservative politician announces bid for president
SEOUL, April 9 (Yonhap) -- Kim Moon-soo, a former labor activist-turned-conservative politician, on Wednesday officially announced his candidacy for president for the June 3 election.
The former labor minister declared his presidential bid for the election, triggered by the impeachment and removal of former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law declaration in December.
The 73-year-old characterized himself as a strong candidate who can defeat Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, widely considered the leading candidate, vowing to rebuild the conservative People Power Party (PPP).
"As (Yoon's) impeachment is a final decision made within the constitutional order, we have no choice but to accept the outcome. But we cannot stop here. Let us fight again and win," Kim said in a press briefing at the National Assembly after joining the PPP.
"Let us move forward together to transform our weakened party and bring our nation out of crisis," Kim added.
If elected, Kim said he will seek to secure nuclear fuel reprocessing capabilities and develop nuclear-powered submarines to counter North Korea's nuclear threats.
Kim said he will push to negotiate with U.S. President Donald Trump on a defense cost-sharing deal for the upkeep of U.S. Forces Korea and nuclear fuel reprocessing issues, and will bolster the alliance with Washington.
He also vowed to revitalize the slowing economy and push for a constitutional revision to reflect growing calls for political reform.
Kim's approval ratings have risen sharply, particularly among staunch supporters of Yoon, after he refused to bow in apology during a parliamentary session in the wake of Yoon's martial law decree.
Kim, once a symbol of labor and democratization movements during the 1970s and 1980s, joined the conservative bloc in the 1990s and served as a lawmaker for three consecutive terms.
He also served as the governor of Gyeonggi Province for two terms until 2014 and later founded a minor party considered to be on the far right of the political spectrum.
In August 2024, Kim was appointed labor minister after leading the Presidential Economic, Social and Labor Council under the Yoon administration.
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