South Korea ex-PM Han talks up Trump credentials ahead of vote South Korea ex-PM Han talks up Trump credentials ahead of vote
South Korean former prime minister Han Duck-soo speaks during a press conference to announce a presidential bid at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on May 2, 2025. - Photo: AP
SEOUL: South Korea's former prime minister Han Duck-soo said Wednesday (May 7) he was the best candidate to cut a deal with Donald Trump, as the country faces a snap poll triggered by the impeachment of the ex-president.
The June 3 presidential election will decide who replaces Yoon Suk Yeol, who was removed from office over his ill-fated declaration of martial law in December, which sent South Korea into a period of prolonged political turmoil.
Han, a 75-year-old career bureaucrat and prime minister under Yoon, was acting president but resigned last week and officially announced his presidential bid.
His approval rating is in the single digits.
Han, who spent around two months as acting leader after Yoon was impeached, said Wednesday he was "the most experienced and capable person" to discuss trade issues with the US.
While leading the country, he said he had directly spoken to US President Trump, who he saw as an "amicable" and "proactive" person in "resolving issues with South Korea".
Prime among them are Trump's potentially steep trade tariffs.
Han is one of a host of conservative candidates running against main opposition Democratic Party frontrunner Lee Jae-myung. Analysts say the right needs to unify and run a single candidate if it wants to avert an opposition landslide.
Han was seen as a unifying candidate, having held a range of senior roles across both liberal and conservative governments, including prime minister, finance minister, trade minister and the country's ambassador to the US.
But the country's conservative People Power Party picked former labour minister Kim Moon-soo as their official candidate.
The latest Gallup poll, released on April 25, shows Lee, currently facing multiple criminal trials, leading the race with 38 percent support, while all other candidates, including Han, trail in the single digits. - AFP
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