Ex-PM Han eyes unlikely union

South Korea's former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said yesterday he saw no alternative other than teaming up with the presidential candidate of the ruling conservative People Power Party to contest the country’s snap election on June 3.

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Mr Han emphasised the need to run on a unity ticket when asked whether he would run separately from former labour minister Kim Moon-soo, who was picked by the PPP as its candidate earlier this month.

"I've never thought that unification would fail because that would be a great betrayal of the people," he said at a debate hosted by the Kwanhun Club, a grouping of senior journalists.

Lee Jae-myung, the candidate of the main opposition Democratic Party, remains a clear frontrunner in the election, piling pressure on conservatives to put forward one candidate to avoid splitting the vote.