"The Unified Opposition Party Move Is a Frame to Block Ahn's Rising Momentum"
From the left, Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, and Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] The camp of Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, who had so far drawn a line against unification with Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, left room for possibility by saying, "If the absolute majority of the people want it, it is a matter that can be judged at that time."
Lee Tae-gyu, the general headquarters chief of the People’s Party election campaign committee, said on the 12th on TBS Radio’s 'Kim Eo-jun’s News Factory,' "I believe the people will decide who is more suitable for a better regime change," expressing this view.
Lee said, "This (unification) is not a situation where politicians meet and say, 'Let’s try this or that method.' At some point, a big flow will be created," adding, "We trust the wisdom of the people regarding that and will simply continue on our path, as we have repeatedly stated."
However, Lee clarified that now is not the time to discuss unification. He said, "The unification coming from the main opposition party is a frame to prevent Ahn Cheol-soo’s rising momentum from overwhelming the main opposition party," and "(Currently) our core strategy is to steadily show Ahn Cheol-soo’s true nature and follow the direction pointed out by the people, and I believe this is the right approach."
In an interview on CBS Radio’s 'Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show' on the same day, Lee also warned against the opposition unification theory, saying, "Public interest in candidate Ahn has greatly increased and a re-evaluation is underway at this point," and "If we get trapped in the political frame called unification, it will be very difficult to convey Ahn’s true nature and sincerity to the people."
Meanwhile, candidate Ahn has so far drawn a line against opposition unification. At a debate hosted by the Korea Journalists Association on the 11th, when asked, "What are the principles and conditions for unification in this presidential election?" he replied, "I am not interested in unification. Naturally, I have never thought about conditions or anything like that," and expressed his intention to complete the presidential race by saying, "The reason I am running for president is that I want to become president and bring about regime change."
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