PPP's Midnight Coup Leaves South Korea's Democracy On The Brink

According to Article 74 of the PPP's constitution,“the presidential candidate shall have priority over all authority over party affairs to the extent necessary to efficiently promote election affairs from the day of election until the presidential election day.”

Kim Moon-soo, citing this clause, attempted to exercise his authority. His request was ignored by party leadership.

Kim , who had earned his nomination through a transparent and competitive process, was cast aside without explanation or apology. In a matter of hours, the outcome of months of democratic engagement was overturned. In its place was a backroom coronation.

That authority now rests with Han Duck-soo – the former prime minister under President Yoon – who wasn't even a party member 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 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.

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.

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.