South Korea: PPP candidate says not considering expulsion of impeached Yoon from party

Seoul, May 13 (IANS) South Korea's People Power Party (PPP) presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo said on Tuesday that he is not considering expelling impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol from the conservative party ahead of the June 3 election.

Kim resisted growing calls from his own party to sever ties with Yoon, who was removed from office last month over his short-lived martial law declaration on December 3 and now faces trials on charges of leading an insurrection.

"Whether former President Yoon decides to leave the party or not is up to him," Kim told reporters during his campaign stop in the southeastern city of Daegu.

"If we judge that former President Yoon did something wrong and demand that he leave, then our party also bears responsibility," he added.

Kim, who apologised on Monday for the public's suffering from Yoon's martial law attempt, described the move as "one of the most extreme measures," emphasising that it is not an appropriate approach to resolve political disputes.

The former labour minister urged the party to overcome controversies related to Yoon's martial law and impeachment and move forward to win the election.

After Kim registered as the PPP's candidate on Sunday following days of an internal feud over a unified candidacy with former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Yoon urged conservatives to rally behind Kim for the race, Yonhap news agency reported.

If elected, Kim said he would push for an early summit with US President Donald Trump to negotiate a trade deal that would ease broad tariffs.

He also unveiled support measures for the Artificial Intelligence sector to foster 200,000 young professionals in the field and create a private-public fund worth 100 trillion won ($71.2 billion) by drawing foreign investment.

On security, Kim vowed to develop Nuclear-powered submarines to counter Pyongyang's Nuclear threats and pursue unification with North Korea to save its people suffering from hunger and oppression.

"Progressivism should bring prosperity, not poverty. I want to tear apart fake progressivism," Kim said.

--IANS

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