DP camp rallies unity with COVID hero Jung Eun-kyeong; PPP’s final showdown before voting

South Korea is now counting down 34 days to the June third presidential election.

And for more on the partisan preparations I have Kim Do-yeon live on the line.

Do-yeon welcome.

I hear the Democratic Party has launched its campaign committee?

The Democratic Party of Korea just hours ago launched its presidential election campaign committee for its candidate Lee Jae-myung.

As we know, Lee is leading the polls and with the election coming from a rival party's former president being impeached, Lee and the campaign's main message, in efforts to secure the win, is social unity.

First, take a listen to Lee himself as he kicked off his camp.

"South Korea now stands at a historic crossroads — will it rise as a hopeful leader on the global stage, or fall into decline through destructive backpedaling? The only force that can stop regression and lead us toward hope and the future is national unity."

This aspect is also reflected through the lineup of the General Election Campaign Committee.

There are a total of 22 leaders, with seven of them at the director level with 15 co-chairs; some of them come with conservative politics experience.

One political debutante especially sticks out as she's known as one of the nation's popular healthcare experts the former Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency chief, Jung Eun-kyeong.

Back in 2020, when COVID-19 first started spreading globally she gained international fame for leading South Korea's fast response to containing the then-not-well-known disease.

All in all, the Lee campaign team will have 15 subcommittees directly under the auspices of Lee and 35 more subcommittees to deal with all aspects of the nation.

Meanwhile Do-yeon the People Power Party is preparing for a final debate tonight?

That's right, Sun-hee.

Tonight at 10 PM, Kim Moon-soo and Han Dong-hoon face off in the final PPP run-off debate — a crucial and last showdown to decide the party's presidential nominee.

Neither cleared 50 percent in the last round, which was split evenly between party electors and an open survey.

This also means neither has a clear lead.

Kim holds an edge among party members, especially those still loyal to impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol — whose removal he opposed.

But Han, who supported Yoon's impeachment possibly tipping the scale with his faction during the impeachment voting, is seen as stronger among swing voters an advantage for the open survey.

That divide came to light during their last debate — take a listen.

You used to be really close with President Yoon. What happened?

Dear citizens, I believe in democracy and the republic. I would've stopped my own father if he declared martial law.

The voting will open on Thursday until Friday and on Saturday at the party's convention the winner will be announced.

Meanwhile, Acting President Han Duck-soo is now expected to run for president, with his resignation from the caretaker role likely as early as tomorrow.

If he runs, he'll begin as an independent since he skipped the PPP primary — a major variable in the race.

Kim Moon-soo supports merging with Han to counter Lee Jae-myung, while Han Dong-hoon has been more critical, though he agrees that a merger may be needed.

All right Do-yeon thank you for the latest on the presidential election.