People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo, right, speaks with vendors at Garak Market in Songpa District, southerm Seoul, on May 12. [JOONGANG ILBO] People Power Party (PPP) presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo kicked off his campaign for the presidency on Monday morning with a visit to Garak Market,

South Korea's conservatives made another about-face on Saturday and reinstated their nominee, just hours after dropping him and reopening the nomination process as the divided party struggled for unity to challenge the liberal frontrunner in a presidential election four weeks away.

Kim Moon-soo, formerly labor minister in the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, officially registered Sunday as the People Power Party’s presidential candidate for the June 3 election — clinching the nomination after days of internal strife and pressure to step aside for former Prime Minister and two-time acting President Han Duck-soo.