Ousted former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced on Saturday via Facebook that he is leaving the conservative People Power Party (PPP).
The announcement comes as PPP’s presidential candidate is badly trailing liberal Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung in the polls before the June 3 snap election.
According to a Gallup Korea poll released on Friday, some 29% supported PPP presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo, compared to 51% for frontrunner Lee.
Yoon, whose December surprise martial law and subsequent ouster by impeachment brought about the snap presidential election, had been called by party members to leave the party in an effort to muster more support from moderate voters who negatively view his actions.
‘I Am Leaving’
“I am leaving the People Power Party to fulfill my responsibility to protect the free Republic of Korea … Please lend your support to Kim Moon-soo,” Yoon said in his post, referring to South Korea’s official name.
Yoon had publicly endorsed Kim on Sunday, May 11, to fight “the giant opposition party”, but his support had garnered criticism from some PPP members who wanted the party to kick out the ousted leader.
Candidates Lee and Kim are set to face off in their first televised debate on Sunday.
From Runners-Up To Front Runner
Asia’s fourth-largest economy will hold a snap presidential election on June 3 to choose Yoon Suk Yeol’s successor after the conservative leader was ousted over his shock martial law order that plunged the country into a political crisis.
Surrounded by a huge crowd of supporters dressed in blue, frontrunner Lee from the liberal Democratic Party rallied in the centre of capital Seoul earlier this week.
Lee, who lost the previous presidential polls to Yoon, is now riding a wave of popular support after overcoming a knife attack, standing up to the martial law order and contesting criminal charges that have threatened to disqualify him from the race.
His ongoing trials on matters ranging from bribery to charges mostly linked to a $1-billion property development scandal have been pushed back to after the polls.
(With inputs from Reuters)
