Impeached ex-presidents rally behind People Power Party's Kim Moon-soo

Former President Park Geun-hye (center) greets supporters at a local market in Daegu, Saturday, accompanied by Reps. Yoo Yeong-ha (left) and Kang Dae-sik. (Yonhap)

Former Presidents Park Geun-hye and Yoon Suk Yeol — both once central figures in South Korea’s conservative bloc who were impeached and removed from office — made rare public gestures over the weekend in a bid to rally support for Kim Moon-soo, the People Power Party’s presidential candidate, just days ahead of Tuesday's election.

Park, who was elected president in 2013 under the Saenuri Party — a predecessor of the People Power Party — visited a traditional market in Daegu on Saturday. It marked her first known visit to the city since 2017, when she was removed from office over corruption and abuse of power.

While Park did not explicitly endorse Kim, her presence — accompanied by several People Power Party lawmakers wearing the campaign’s signature red jackets — was widely interpreted as an intended appeal to voters in Daegu, a conservative stronghold where Kim has recently struggled in the polls.

“I heard that when Kim Moon-soo held a rally here a few days ago, many people said they wanted to see me,” Park said during the visit. "That touched my heart. I felt I should have come earlier, so I came today."

On the same day, former President Yoon — who was impeached over his controversial martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024 — also delivered a written statement of support for Kim. The message was read aloud at a rally hosted by far-right pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon, and delivered via a former researcher at the Yeouido Institute, the People Power Party’s policy think tank.

“To protect liberal democracy and restore order in the country, I earnestly ask everyone to go to the polls on June 3 and lend your full support to candidate Kim Moon-soo,” the statement read.

The back-to-back gestures from the two impeached former presidents ignited an immediate backlash, with critics arguing their support only underscored the People Power Party’s inability to distance itself from its disgraced leadership. The liberal Democratic Party of Korea seized the moment, portraying Kim as the latest figure in a long line of tainted conservative rule.

“Is Kim truly a candidate who can overcome the crisis triggered by the turmoil that followed Yoon’s martial law declaration?” said front-runner Lee Jae-myung, who is the Democratic Party's candidate, in a YouTube interview on Saturday. “If so, it’s obvious he must break ties with Yoon — the ringleader of the insurrection.”

Reacting to Park’s Daegu visit, Lee added sarcastically: “Why would she go there? Just for grocery shopping?”

Yoon’s return stirred unease within the People Power Party as well, with some party officials concerned his involvement could reopen old wounds from the fallout of his martial law declaration. “Although it’s said that Yoon left the party, it was practically an expulsion. He should stay far away from the People Power Party,” wrote interim People Power Party Chair Rep. Kim Yong-tae on Facebook.

Kim Moon-soo’s campaign also moved quickly to distance itself from Yoon. “Neither Kim nor the campaign was aware of the details of that particular rally,” a campaign spokesperson said. “Yoon is no longer with the party, and we currently have no ties with him.”