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Acting president Hwang Kyo-ahn participates in a Cabinet Meeting

Prime Minister and acting president Hwang Kyo-ahn, who had been the favored presidential candidate for South Korea’s conservatives, officially announced on Mar. 15 that he will not run for president. The country’s 19th presidential election will take place on May 9. The disappearance of the conservative establishment’s strongest contender is likely to send tremors through the election landscape and create a shifting pattern of coalitions between minor candidates.

“After much careful thought, I’ve reached the conclusion that I must not delay or neglect dealing with the current national crisis or bringing stability to government affairs,” Hwang said during a provisional meeting of the cabinet on the afternoon of Mar. 15, as he announced that he would not enter the presidential race.

“I’m aware that some South Koreans are saying they want me to participate in the presidential race. But I’ve concluded that it would not be appropriate for me to run for president because of the need to maintain stability in the government and to ensure a fair election,” he said.

“I will manage the presidential election, which is less than two months away, with strictness and fairness,” he said.

Until the Constitutional Court ruled to impeach former President Park Geun-hye, Hwang was reportedly leaning toward running for president. But Park’s removal from office precluded Hwang from being a credible candidate, given his shared responsibility for the influence-peddling scandal. Another liability for Hwang was the criticism that it would cause confusion for the most senior member of the government, who is supposed to be managing uncertainty in the economy and national security, to take part in the presidential election. The fact Hwang’s support, which at one point had surged to 20%, had recently receded to about 10% also seems to have been a discouraging factor.

“On a practical level, Hwang knew all along that not running was the right thing to do. But just when he had nearly made up his mind, he would get a phone call [urging him to run] and would start mulling it over again,” said a source at the Office of the Prime Minister. “His reasons for running were unclear, while his reasons for not running were clear. I was told he thought it over by himself until the moment he made the final decision.”

Shortly after the cabinet meeting, the government announced its decision to hold the election for the next president to fill the presidential vacancy on May 9 and to designate election day as a temporary public holiday to facilitate voter participation in the election. At the same time as it confirmed the date of the presidential election, the Ministry of the Interior established a “situation room to support a fair election” and announced that it would be maintaining an “emergency work system” until election day.

This leaves conservatives, who had harbored hopes about the possibility of Hwang running for president, in a lurch. Once the Liberty Korea Party and the Bareun Party have selected candidates through their separate primaries, there is likely to be a discussion about selecting a unity candidate, but all the conservative candidates who are currently in the running are only polling between 1% and 3%. In response, the Liberty Korea Party is angling to recruit former prime minister Kim Hwang-sik as an alternative to Hwang.

At the same time, there’s still a possibility of creating a coalition with former prime minister Chung Un-chan or former Minjoo Party of Korea leader Kim Jong-in, who are attempting to rally moderates and conservatives to a “third camp.” But given the lack of a strong rallying point, the election terrain for the conservatives is likely to remain hidden in the fog for the time being.

By Lee Kyung-mi and Jung In-hwan, staff reporters

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]