Sawt Falasteen - Uproar as S. Korea conservatives switch presidential candidate

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) has been in turmoil since former president Yoon Suk Yeol was ousted after he declared martial law in December.

Last week, former labour minister Kim won the PPP's primary to run as its candidate in presidential elections on June 3.

But before dawn on Saturday, his nomination was cancelled.

"In the end, efforts to unify under a single candidate through negotiation have failed. It is deeply regrettable and heartbreaking," PPP interim leader Kwon Young-se said in announcing the switch.

In Kim's place, the party said it was nominating career bureaucrat Han Duck-soo, 75, an ex-acting president who resigned last week to contest the race, initially as an independent.

Kim, 73, branded the decision a "political coup".

The PPP "unlawfully revoked my presidential candidacy, even though I, Kim Moon-soo, was legitimately elected by the will of the people and party members," he told reporters.

He then filed a court injunction to suspend the move which the Seoul Southern District Court held a roughly one-hour hearing to review.

Han's nomination was expected to be finalised at the party's national committee meeting on Sunday ahead of a deadline later in the day to register candidates with the National Election Commission.

Han and Kim had been in talks to merge their candidacies and unify the conservative base, but those negotiations collapsed.

The two resumed talks on a unified candidacy on Saturday evening, but the negotiations again fell apart after just about an hour.

- 'Our politics must change' -

Analysts say the right needs to rally around a single candidate to avoid an opposition landslide at the election, with Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party leading strongly in polls.

Han has held a range of roles under both liberal and conservative administrations, including finance minister and ambassador to the United States.

But as a former prime minister under Yoon he has faced criticism for failing to prevent, and alleged complicity with, Yoon's martial law declaration.

When he stepped down last week, his approval rating was in single digits.

"I've never once dreamed of running for president in my entire life," Han said Saturday.

"And yet I decided to enter the race because, over the past three years, I've come to realise, deeply and painfully, that our politics must change."

Han officially joined the PPP on Saturday.

A National Barometer Survey released this week showed the Democratic Party's Lee -- who currently faces multiple criminal trials -- leading Han 44 percent to 34 percent.

Lee held a 43 percent to 29 percent advantage over Kim.

Lee's Democratic Party gloated over the PPP's reversal, saying that every contender in the conservatives' primary "has become a victim of fraud".

"After shaking the foundations of constitutional order, the party has now shattered internal democracy -- leaving no justification for its continued existence," the Democratic Party said in a statement.

A.Suleiman--SF-PST