PPP's Kim apologizes for martial law declaration by PPP's former president

Up next we turn to the conservative camp whose contender Kim Moon-soo is back in the capital city.. after a three-day tour of the southeastern part of Korea.

For more I have my colleague Kim Do-yeon joining me live.

Do-yeon it's great to have on.

So Kim is here in Seoul.

What has he been saying?

That's right, Sun-hee. Kim's back in the capital — and while there weren't any big rallies today, he did stop by his campaign headquarters behind me for a meeting, possibly taking time to regroup.

But the standout moment came when he once again apologized for the martial law declaration made by the party's former president at a press conference here.

Take a listen.

"So I sincerely and respectfully apologize — to those struggling to make a living outside of the capital region, to many whose lives have become more difficult, to those feeling weighed down or disheartened, and to all affected by the deepening divisions in public opinion."

Kim called the martial law declaration "inappropriate," — saying even if it's within a president's authority, it should only be used in true national emergencies, beyond what the police can handle.

As for impeached former president Yoon Suk Yeol, Kim made clear he has no plans to expel him — saying that the decision to leave is up to Yoon himself.

That comment came after the party's new interim leader, Kim Yong-tae, told the media that the idea of expulsion could be considered during the campaign.

All of this reflects Kim's balancing act — trying to hold onto party loyalists while also reaching out to undecided voters, many of whom opposed the martial law move.

Meanwhile Do-yeon I hear the conservative party is also ramping up its REBUKE of the liberal party's PRESSURE on the Supreme Court.

Do explain this for us.

Sun-hee, that's right. One of the tactics that the PPP has had all along was Lee Jae-myung's legal risks.

Now, we saw the Supreme Court rule against Lee for his election law violations and sent a case back to a high court for a guilty ruling.

After that, the DP has been pressuring the Supreme Court trying to summon Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae for a hearing and even starting a bill for a special probe into him with a potential impeachment motion well.

And because of this, Kim and PPP lawmakers went to the Supreme Court to protest against this take a listen.

"They say democracy is about the rule of law — but have you ever seen anything so absurd? A criminal threatening a judge, summoning a judge for a hearing, launching a special investigation into a judge, or even trying to impeach a judge? Have you ever heard of such madness?"

In the meantime, Kim also tried to appeal his diplomatic side to voters by visiting interim U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Joseph Yun at his residence.

While the two's discussion is undisclosed due to diplomatic reasons Kim's chief of staff says the two discussed the Korean Peninsula and tariff issues candidly.

That's all for now. Back to you, Sun-hee.

All right Do-yeon thank you for that coverage from the conservative camp.