Around 1 a. m. on Saturday, May 10, 2025, South Korea’s main conservative party, the People Power Party ( PPP ), executed what amounts to a quiet procedural coup. In the dead of night, three formal notices appeared in quick succession on the party ’s bulletin board – each one more significant than the last.
The second, titled “Announcement of Cancellation of the Selection of the 21st National Member of the PPP” instantly nullified the election of Kim Moon-soo. Kim had secured the election through a months-long main procedure, earning the assistance of the celebration base.
The next, “PPP 21st Presidential Candidate Registration Application Notice, ” announced a one-hour glass – between 3 am and 4 am on the same day– for new applicants to record.
Candidates were required to submit 32 records, including a Sign of Criminal Record ( No. 15 ), and an Election Office Establishment Report ( No. 24 ). Many of these products require in-person trips to government agencies and time. Given that the agencies were closed on Saturday and the observes appeared only hours before the deadline, the only plausible candidate was one pre-informed and thoroughly prepared.
The third and final notice, “21st Presidential Election Candidate Registration Notice, ” confirmed what many suspected: Han Duk-soo was listed as the sole registered candidate.
Unexplained specialist
According to Article 74 of the PPP’s law, “the presidential candidate may have focus over all authority over party affairs to the extent required to successfully market election affairs from the day of election until the national election day. ”
Kim Moon-soo, citing this provision, attempted to practice his authority. His plea was ignored by gathering management.
Kim, who had earned his election through a clear and competitive approach, was cast away without description or apologies. In a matter of time, the goal of months of political engagement was overturned. In its place was a backdoor crown.
Han Duck-soo: a head with no plan of his own
That power then rests with Han Duck-soo– the former prime minister under President Yoon – who was n’t perhaps a group associate until hours before his nomination. He did not participate in the primary process, did not stand for a vote, and has never run for elected office in his life.
He has no record of political ambition and has publicly stated repeatedly that he will simply “follow what the party tells him to do. ” When Kim Moon-soo invoked Article 74 of the party constitution to assert that he was the rightful representative of the party, Han simply ignored him.
Even more curiously, Han has said that if elected, he plans to step down after three years – raising urgent questions about who or what truly stands behind his candidacy.
The public’s voice erased
The PPP leadership’s decision to cancel the candidacy of someone chosen through public primaries has left many South Koreans facing a grim realization: They have no real voice in selecting their own leaders.
The will of the people can be undone – silently, without warning and without recourse.
While the leftist Minjoo Party has become a vehicle for Lee Jae-myung – a party by Lee, of Lee and for Lee– the conservative PPP has similarly transformed into a party driven by, shaped by and ultimately serving the interests of those behind Han Duk-soo.
The fragility beneath its democratic facade
What took place on May 10 was not routine political strategy. It was a full-scale collapse of democratic norms– and a warning shot fired at the very foundation of South Korea’s constitutional order.
In a country once hailed as a beacon of democratic maturity in East Asia, both of its main parties now seem dominated by personality cults and elite power plays.
A failing democracy on the front line of US-China rivalry
South Korea’s political unraveling is not happening in isolation. The country occupies one of the world’s most critical geopolitical crossroads – bordering China, Japan, and Russia, and anchored by a long-standing military alliance with the United States.
The Korean Peninsula is not a relic of Cold War tension. It is an active geopolitical fault line.
At a time when the US is trying to contain China ’s rise – militarily, economically, and technologically – with the help of its allies, South Korea’s liberal democratic institutions are being hollowed out from within.
Washington has long viewed Seoul as a stable democratic ally in a region increasingly dominated by authoritarian regimes. But if that democratic core erodes, the consequences could be serious.
A compromised South Korea undermines US-led coalition-building, weakens trust among fellow democracies like Japan, and emboldens authoritarian actors eager to see liberal democracy fail in East Asia.
A linchpin in peril
The events of May 10 should alarm not only South Koreans, but all who are committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific. South Korea is a strategic linchpin – and its democracy now stands in jeopardy.
Hanjin Lew, a political commentator specializing in East Asian affairs, is a former international spokesman for South Korean conservative parties.