SEOUL, South Korea: South Korea’s acting leader, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, said Thursday he is resigning to take on “heavier responsibility” amid expectation he will run in next month’s presidential election.
Han has emerged as a potential conservative standard bearer as the main conservative People Power Party remains in disarray over the recent ouster of President Yoon Suk Yeol. Observers expect Han to officially launch his presidential campaign on Friday.
“I have two paths ahead of me. One is completing the heavy responsibility that I handle now. The other is putting down that responsibility and taking a heavier responsibility,” Han said in a nationally televised announcement. “I’ve finally determined to put down my post to do what I can and what I have to help overcome the crises facing us.”
Han, who Yoon had appointed prime minister, the country’s No. 2 post, is expected to align with the People Power Party to launch a unified conservative campaign against liberal front-runner Lee Jae-myung, observers say.
Han, 75, is a career bureaucrat with about 40 years of public service and a Harvard doctorate in economics. He has held many top posts under both conservative and liberal governments, including trade minister, finance minister and ambassador to the US He’s served as prime minster twice, first under liberal President Roh Moo-hyun from 2007 to 2008 and later under Yoon.
Han’s supporters say his extensive government experience, especially on economic affairs, would make him the right leader who can deal with President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff policies and other economic problems. But his critics say Han — who has never had an elected post — has no strong political support base and is too old to become president.
Lee’s main liberal opposition Democratic Party lambasted Han’s move. “Only the people’s severe punishment awaits Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is blind with greed and abandons state affairs,” party spokesperson Cho Seung-rae said.
Han is to formally end his term at midnight after he signs a related document, according to South Korean media. With Han’s resignation, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok becomes acting president until a new leader is elected on June 3.
Lee, who won the nomination of the Democratic Party on Sunday, has been favored to win. But his campaign suffered a blow Thursday after the Supreme Court ordered a lower court to review its earlier cancelation of his conviction over election law violation charges.
While it’s unclear the Seoul High Court will come up with a new ruling on Lee before the June 3 election, the development provided his conservative rivals with fodder for a political offensive. Under South Korean law, anyone who receives a fine exceeding 1 million won ($683) for election law violations is barred from running for elections for five years.
The Democratic Party condemned the Supreme Court for allegedly trying to interfere in the election.
After the liberal opposition-controlled parliament impeached Yoon on Dec. 14 over his martial law declaration that plunged the country into turmoil, Han began serving as acting leader.
But Han quickly clashed with Lee’s Democratic Party over his refusal to fill three vacant seats on the nine-member Constitutional Court, which was deliberating whether to formally dismiss or reinstate Yoon. A court decision to dismiss Yoon needed support from at least six justices.
In late December, the Democratic Party and other small opposition parties voted to impeach Han, accusing him of obstructing the restoration of the court’s full membership and abetting Yoon’s martial law decree. In March, however, the Constitutional Court overturned Han’s impeachment, reinstating him as acting president. The court in early April ruled to dismiss Yoon.
Yoon separately faces a criminal trial for rebellion in connection with his martial law decree. On Thursday, prosecutors added charges of abuse of power, according to a Seoul prosecutors’ office.

WELLINGTOn: Severe weather warnings covered swathes of New Zealand on Thursday with heavy downpours prompting a state of emergency for the South Island’s largest city, Christchurch, while forecasters recorded “destructive” gales in the capital, Wellington.
Heavy snow and large waves lashed other parts of the country. No deaths or serious injuries were reported. The extent of damage was not clear by afternoon, but evacuations were not widespread.
Thursday’s red wind warning for Wellington, at the southern end of New Zealand’s North Island, was the first time the capital — famous for its gusty gales — has ever faced the most severe alert level. Residents were urged to stay indoors, avoid travel and keep away from doors and windows as gusts of up to 150 kph (93 mph) posed a “threat to life” from falling trees and flying objects, the forecaster Metservice said.
Flights to and from Wellington were canceled throughout Thursday and passenger ferry sailings between the North and South Islands were halted until at least Friday afternoon. Metservice expected 5 meter (16 foot) swells in the Cook Strait, the body of water between New Zealand’s two largest islands.
About 1,000 properties were without electricity Thursday afternoon in the wider Wellington region, which has a population of 550,000. The city’s largest university closed for the day, the Royal New Zealand Ballet canceled an evening performance, and several schools sent students home.
Wellington is New Zealand’s windiest city — registering gusts at gale speeds of 63 kph (39 mph) on about half the days of the year. But Wellington’s emergency management chief, Dan Neely, warned residents to take the warnings seriously because the southerly tempest was unusually strong and could threaten lives, Radio New Zealand reported.
In the city of Christchurch, the largest on the South Island, and in some nearby rural areas, heavy deluges caused rivers to spill over their banks, closing roads and prompting fears the floodwaters could reach homes. Local states of emergency were declared Thursday, including in Christchurch, Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell told reporters.
Orange-level warnings — the second most serious — were issued across parts of both islands for severe rain and large sea swells, and in some South Island districts for heavy snow. The storm system that lay across much of the country Thursday was due to ease Friday.
New Zealanders are accustomed to wild winter conditions because of geographic features that produce variable and sometimes extreme weather across the country of 5 million people. But it was unusual that such widespread warnings were issued.