A new Realmeter poll has thrust Acting President Han Duck-soo into the center of South Korea’s presidential race — even as he resists calls to run. In his first-ever inclusion as a potential candidate, Han now ranks as the second-most competitive conservative challenger to Democratic Party (DP) frontrunner Lee Jae-myung.

His pledge on Monday to “fulfill the final mission entrusted to [him]” indicates that he will not enter the race — but a growing number of ruling People Power Party (PPP) lawmakers, facing collapsing poll numbers and a weak bench, may not give him the choice.

Han, a Harvard-trained economist