Former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo speaks during a press conference on July 20 where he announces his candidacy for party leader in the upcoming national convention on August 22. / Reporter Kwon Do-hyun

Kim Moon-soo, former Minister of Employment and Labor and the People Power Party (PPP) presidential candidate in the last election, declared on July 20 that he would run for party leader in the upcoming national convention on August 22. “I will stop the runaway Lee Jae-myung regime, restore order in the party, and regain the trust of the people,” Kim said. He also claimed that “anti-American, far-left, and criminal forces have taken over the Lee Jae-myung administration and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK),” adding that “under Lee’s one-man dictatorship, Korea is no longer a democratic republic.” Despite being the face of the PPP’s defeat in the last presidential election and his opposition to the impeachment of former president Yoon Suk-yeol, Kim is now seeking to take the party’s helm.

Kim won the PPP primary backed by pro-Yoon Suk-yeol forces, but only narrowly held onto his candidacy after grassroots party members blocked an attempt by those same forces to replace him with former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. His refusal to issue a clear apology for Yoon’s martial law declaration on December 3 of last year, his opposition to Yoon’s impeachment, and his refusal to cut ties with Yoon led many voters to turn their backs on him, resulting in a predictable electoral defeat. Now, just a month later, he is attempting to maintain his grip on party power with the excuse that he “fought a good fight despite losing.” But is there no limit to shamelessness? He may claim to be criticizing the government in order to become leader of the main opposition party, but labeling the Lee administration, which has consistently enjoyed over 60 percent approval, as a “dictatorship” or declaring the “death of liberal democracy” will hardly resonate with the public.

Kim has openly embraced far-right positions, including his support for controversial pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon. Regarding the party membership of Jeon Han-gil, a former Korean history instructor known for advocating the “Yoon Suk-yeol Again” campaign, opposing Yoon’s impeachment, and spreading election conspiracy theories, Kim said, “There are no problems with the process. We should accept him.” At a time when the party should be distancing itself from extremist elements like Jeon, Kim’s embrace of him raises the question: does he intend to turn the PPP into a bastion of the far right? Meanwhile, Kim dismissed reform plans proposed by the party’s Innovation Committee Chair Yoon Hee-sook, saying that “reforms that break the party are acts of self-harm.” Though Kim claims he will lead innovation, his leadership would almost certainly result in disastrous regression.

In the last presidential election, the public called for a near-total overhaul of the PPP. Yet, more than a month later, the party remains trapped in the same internal struggle between pro- and anti-impeachment camps, showing no remorse or willingness to reform. If PPP members truly care about the party’s future, they must reject far-right and “anti-impeachment” candidates and move beyond the “river of impeachment.” If they fail to do so, the PPP cannot survive as a legitimate political party.