South Korea’s embattled conservative party has canceled then reinstated the presidential candidacy of Kim Moon Soo within hours, after a failed attempt to replace him with former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.

South Korea's former prime minister and acting president Han Duck-soo ended a short, ill-fated attempt to win the conservative party's presidential nomination on Sunday after days of internecine disputes just days out from the election.

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's conservatives dropped their presidential candidate on Saturday and reopened a process to pick a new nominee as the country's former prime minister joined the party to challenge a liberal frontrunner less than four weeks before the election.