The four candidates in the People Power Party(PPP) presidential primary race continued to roll out campaign pledges on Monday, the last day of the party’s second primary cutoff. 

Former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo vowed to make South Korea the fifth-largest exporter in the world and to pursue negotiations with the U.S. on shipbuilding and defense industry cooperation as a way to avoid the new tariffs the U.S. is set to impose.

He also said the party should field a single candidate should acting President Han Duck-soo run for president. 

PPP Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo stumped around the Chungcheong region and pledged to make it a hub for artificial intelligence, semiconductors and advanced biotechnology in areas where South Korea can attain a wide lead over its competitors. 

While saying he believes Han should not run for president, Ahn hinted that he might be open to the idea of the party fielding a single candidate. 

Former PPP Chair Han Dong-hoon also visited the Chungcheong region, where he vowed to secure nuclear-powered submarines, create a presidential secretary post for the defense industry, and set up an agency to handle maritime security policy. 

Former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo visited the Korea Federation of SMEs and stressed the need to address the hardships facing small businesses.

To that end, he proposed making it easier for employers to terminate workers, setting the minimum wage at different levels depending on region and industry, and expand the scope of exceptions under the labor law provision that limits the workweek to a maximum of 52 hours.
 
The results of the party’s second primary cutoff will be announced on Tuesday and will reflect a 50-50 split between votes from party members and public surveys.