O Se-hoon and Ahn Cheol-soo Unification Negotiations 'Painful'... 'Further Discussions Ahead of the Deadline'

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] The unification negotiations between Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party's candidate for Seoul mayor, and Ahn Cheol-soo, the People's Party's candidate for Seoul mayor, are facing difficulties. The negotiation teams from both sides, who had been engaged in marathon talks, continued their discussions late into the night but failed to reach an agreement, deciding to meet again tomorrow morning to continue negotiations.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 16th, the working-level negotiation teams from the People Power Party and the People's Party met at the National Assembly for the 5th round of talks on unifying the Seoul mayoral candidate but failed to produce a consensus. Both sides agreed to meet again tomorrow to continue negotiations. They started talks in the afternoon, paused negotiations during the TV debate period between candidate Oh and candidate Ahn, and then resumed. The lengthy negotiations began at 1 PM and continued until 10 PM, but no agreement was reached.

Jung Yang-seok, Secretary-General of the People Power Party, told reporters after the meeting, "It seems we need to meet again tomorrow," adding, "We will likely continue discussions around 8:30 AM." He said, "Since negotiations are ongoing, I can only say that," and explained, "It might go well tomorrow, but comparing the positions of each party, there seem to be difficulties in the negotiations progressing smoothly, so I ask for your understanding."

Lee Tae-gyu, Secretary-General of the People's Party, said, "To decide on the polling method, you probably know the major points that need to be discussed," adding, "We are continuously discussing those points, and for some issues, we have each proposed compromise opinions, but more discussion is needed. That is what Secretary-General Jung is saying, and I share the same view."

Regarding the negotiation deadline, Secretary-General Lee said, "Physically, time is becoming tight," and added, "I think the discussions need to be serious." Originally, candidates Oh and Ahn planned to conduct polls on the 17th and 18th and finalize the unified opposition candidate on the 19th. The 19th is the last day to register candidates with the National Election Commission. Since the polling questions have not been finalized, even if an agreement is reached in the morning, the polls are expected to start only in the afternoon.

Both sides disagree over whether to include party names along with candidate names in the polling questions. The People Power Party prefers questions asking about the suitability of opposition candidates, while the People's Party favors questions related to the competitiveness of opposition candidates.