ISTANBUL

Former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo was declared the presidential candidate of South Korea's ruling People Power Party (PPP) on Saturday, defeating rival and former party leader Han Dong-hoon in the party’s primary with 56.5% of the vote, according to Yonhap News.

The PPP's two-day primary process combined votes from party members and the general public to determine its nominee for the upcoming presidential election.

In his acceptance speech, Kim positioned himself as a unifier within conservative circles, pledging to form “strong solidarity” to prevent Democratic Party (DP) candidate Lee Jae-myung from winning the presidency.

Kim promised to pursue constitutional amendments, as well as reforms in the political, judicial, and electoral systems. He also committed to abolishing lawmakers' privileges and eliminating South Korea's early voting system, which he described as flawed.

Kim also vowed that he would be a "security president," eliminate North Korea's nuclear threat, and aim for unification.

"I will ensure that extremist forces seeking to undermine our system cannot destabilize this nation. I will firmly uphold the Republic of Korea as a free and democratic country," Kim said.

South Korea is set to hold elections after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office for his botched martial law bid.​​​​​​​

Other candidates include: Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, who is a front-runner in the polls, independent candidate former premier Han Duck-soo, New Reform candidate Lee Jun-seok.