Seoul: A Seoul court on Friday dismissed an injunction request filed by Kim Moon-soo, presidential candidate of the conservative People Power Party (PPP), seeking recognition of his candidacy status.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Seoul Southern District Court rejected Kim's petition, which aimed to compel the party to acknowledge him as its official presidential candidate. This decision comes amid internal party disagreements regarding the potential merger of Kim's campaign with that of former Acting President Han Duck-soo.

The court's ruling grants the PPP the legal flexibility to potentially confer the party's presidential candidacy status to Han. Kim, who recently secured a victory in the PPP primary, has been under significant pressure from party leadership to combine his campaign with Han's. Han, an independent candidate, has shown stronger polling results in hypothetical contests against front-runner Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party.

Despite the court's decision, Kim has pledged to pursue all necessary legal avenues to maintain his candidacy status and intends to register by Sunday's deadline.