Lee Jun-seok Targets Ahn Cheol-soo: "Anilhwa? 'Ganilhwa' Is More Popular... Even in a Three-Way Race, Yoon Will Win"

"'Dividing seats' style unification lacks synergy... Unification is a strategy for 2nd and 3rd place"

Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, commented on the opposition's unification.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, targeted Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People Party, saying, "If you go on the internet, the word 'Ganilhwa' (unification based on testing the waters) appears more than 'Anilhwa' (unification with Ahn Cheol-soo)."

In an interview with MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' on the 19th, Lee said, "The support base of the 20s and 30s that the People Power Party had temporarily shifted, causing the numbers (People Party's approval ratings) to rise, and people got too excited and even coined the term 'Anilhwa'."

He continued, "I don't know the intention of the person who coined the term 'Ganilhwa,' but since the unification negotiations often turn into unconstructive disputes such as fights over shares, the public has seen a lot of that, so the phrase 'testing the waters' came out. If the alliance between forces is formed selflessly while participating in the cause of regime change, it would be different, but generally, the public may see unpleasant scenes," he added.

He also said, "Negotiations that look like 'dividing up positions' after unification or unifications that cause such problems will (ultimately) not create synergy," referring to the unification negotiations between Oh Se-hoon, then the People Power Party candidate, and Ahn during last year's April 7 Seoul mayoral by-election. Lee said, "At that time, Ahn's side took the position of Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs," and criticized, "But would that really help Seoul's administration?"

When the host asked, "What is Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party's presidential candidate's stance on the unification issue?" Lee replied, "Usually, unification is a strategy between the 2nd and 3rd place candidates. It is done by those in 2nd and 3rd place to try to beat the 1st place candidate. Our candidate has been leading in almost all polls since the reorganization of the election campaign headquarters, so how could he bring up unification, which is a language for 2nd and 3rd place candidates? That is the perception," he said.

Lee added, "Winning doesn't come just by combining forces," and elaborated, "If a disadvantageous situation arises for candidate Yoon at the last minute, it would mean we made a significant mistake or something, but just combining forces won't improve things."