PPP heavyweights to announce bids for party leader

Former ruling People Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon and two other heavyweight PPP politicians were set to announce their bids for party leader on Sunday, kicking off a race that could determine the party's relations with President Yoon Suk Yeol. Han plans to hold a news conference at the National Assembly to declare his bid at 2 p.m., while Rep. Na Kyung-won, a five-term lawmaker, plans to announce her bid at 1 p.m. and former Land Minister Won Hee-ryong is scheduled to do so at 3 p.m. The PPP plans to hold a national convention on July 23 to elect a new leader in the wake of its crushing defeat in April's parliamentary elections. Han, who led the party through the elections as emergency committee leader, resigned immediately after the defeat to take responsibility. The election is expected to be a four-way race, including Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun, a five-term lawmaker who has already declared his bid, but many political watchers believe the race will mainly be about whether Han will be elected or not. Han had been considered one of the closest confidants of President Yoon, with critics even calling him Yoon's "avatar." But their relations have soured due to a series of politically sensitive issues in the run-up to the elections, including how to handle allegations that first lady Kim Keon Hee received a luxury bag as a gift in 2022. Source: Yonhap News Agency