Contenders welcome Hwang's decision not to run for president

Published : Mar 15, 2017 - 17:08 Updated : Mar 15, 2017 - 17:08

South Korea's presidential hopefuls on Wednesday welcomed Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn's decision not to run for president. They urged him to instead focus on a fair management of the upcoming election.

"We urge Hwang to concentrate on fairly administering the presidential election and attend to the livelihood of the people," said Rep. Kim Kyung-soo, a spokesman for Moon Jae-in, a frontrunner candidate from the liberal bloc.

Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn (Yonhap)

South Korea plans to hold the presidential election on May 9 after the Constitutional Court removed Park Geun-hye, the scandal-ridden former president, from office last week.

"Hwang shares the responsibility for Park's influence-peddling scandal," Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung's campaign said in a statement. "He should have resigned long before. Hwang was not qualified to run."

Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo of the People's Party said the decision is reasonable considering that Hwang holds an obligation to lead South Korea which is faced with various challenges due to the political scandal.

"South Korea's leadership has been vacant for around six months," Ahn said, requesting Hwang to focus on revitalizing the economy.

"I believe it was the right decision, and I expect him to organize a fair election," said Rep. Yoo Seong-min, a potential candidate from the conservative Bareun Party, asking the acting president to concentrate on handling security and economic issues.

The Liberty Korea Party, meanwhile, said it respects Hwang's decision. Some expected that the acting president will run as the candidate for the former ruling party amid the lack of popular conservative figures. (Yonhap)