Han Duck-soo, Acting President, Shuts Down Presidential Run Rumors: “My Last Duty is to Stabilize the State Affairs” 🚫

Amid recent speculation in political circles about a potential presidential run by Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, it has been reported that Han has explicitly stated he has no intention of running. 🙅‍♂️

According to a government official, Han recently told his chief of staff, “Don’t even utter the ‘ㄷ’ (D) of the presidential election,” effectively shutting down any discussion about a possible presidential bid. This is interpreted as a move to dismiss the ongoing speculation and to urge caution among his staff regarding the matter. 🤫

Han has repeatedly stated his lack of interest in running for president. Before a Cabinet meeting at the Government Complex in Seoul, he nominated Lee Wan-kyu and Ham Sung-hoon as candidates for the Constitutional Court, stating, “I believe my last duty is to lead the state affairs, which are in crisis, in a stable and balanced manner.” ⚖️

He also stated, “Stable state administration is the last duty of my long public service, and I will do my best” when he met with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik last December. 👨‍💼

Despite these statements, some in the conservative camp continue to suggest that his background as a career bureaucrat with over 50 years of experience in economics and diplomacy makes him suitable as a ‘caretaker president,’ especially considering potential constitutional amendments. Some have even suggested that being from Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, he could be a candidate who could unite the Yeongnam and Honam regions if he were to run as a People Power Party candidate. (The Yeongnam and Honam regions are often seen as politically opposed.) 🤝

This speculation persists partly because potential presidential candidates from the conservative faction are not gaining as much support as Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung. 🤷

For example, People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun visited Han at the Government Complex in Seoul to persuade him to run for president, but Han reportedly replied that he had never considered it. 🤔

There have been several cases in the past where acting presidents have been highlighted as potential presidential candidates. However, no acting president has ever directly transitioned into a presidential challenge. 🇰🇷

Hwang Kyo-ahn, former Prime Minister, emerged as a leading candidate for the conservative camp after the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye, but he did not run in that year’s election. He later ran in the 2022 presidential election but was unsuccessful in the People Power Party primary. 🗳️

Goh Kun, former Prime Minister, recorded the highest approval rating among the next presidential candidates in the second half of 2004, based on his stable state administration performance during the period of President Roh Moo-hyun’s suspension from duty from March to May 2004, but eventually declared his non-candidacy in the 17th presidential election. 📊

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether Han, who nominated Lee Wan-kyu and Ham Sang-hoon as successors to Constitutional Court Justices Moon Hyung-bae and Lee Mi-seon, will conduct personnel appointments for other high-ranking positions that are vacant or soon to expire. ⏳

Currently, the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Employment and Labor, and Ministry of Gender Equality and Family are being operated under an acting system due to vacant ministerial positions. 🏢

The terms of Financial Services Commission Chairman Lee Bok-hyun and Vice Chairman Kim So-young are about to expire, and the appointments of special mission chiefs such as Kim Dae-ki, former Presidential Chief of Staff who was appointed as Ambassador to China, and Bang Moon-kyu, former Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy who was appointed as Ambassador to Indonesia, are also being delayed. delayed. 💼

An official from the Prime Minister’s Office said, “I don’t know if there have been any reviews regarding government senior officials or public institution heads.” 🤷‍♂️