Lee Jun-seok: "I Dislike Ahn Cheol-soo's Proposal for Unification... People Should Stop Being Troubled"

Ahn Cheol-soo Expresses Discomfort with 'Unification Demand Conditions'
"If You Want to Become President, You Must Face Ups and Downs Eventually"

Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, criticized Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People Party, for demanding unification.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, clashed with Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, over opposition unity, saying, "I dislike Ahn Cheol-soo unifying the opposition."

On the 26th, during CBS Radio's 'One Match,' Lee was asked, "Why are you confronting Candidate Ahn so strongly? Is it because you dislike the unification or because you dislike Candidate Ahn?" He responded bluntly.

Lee expressed strong disapproval of Ahn’s political stance, saying, "I really dislike that attitude." He analyzed, "I believe there has been a major shift in Ahn’s political approach. Originally, he criticized both major parties and talked about a third zone. Since last year’s general election, he effectively positioned himself as a satellite party of the conservative party, saying things like 'We won’t run in constituencies. Conservative voters should give us proportional representation seats.'"

He continued, "Then, when running for Seoul mayor, no one asked him, but suddenly he declared his candidacy saying, 'I will become the unified opposition candidate.' So, there was a lane change on our side that we didn’t even know about," adding, "In fact, conservatives always dislike mergers or participating in primaries, but when it comes to elections, he keeps trying to get involved from our side, and this pattern of showing up late to push for unification continues."

Lee also criticized Ahn for trying to avoid political ups and downs. He said, "Anyone who wants to become president must go through ups and downs at some point," explaining, "Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min was originally a core member of the party but was labeled a traitor and had a hard time. Representative Hong Joon-pyo ran twice as party leader and once as a presidential candidate, then was excluded from nominations and later barely rejoined the party and gained popularity."

Lee said, "Ahn might think he has gone through a difficult path, but since he wants votes from the conservative party, he needs to try competing within the conservative mainstream at least once. But he refuses to do that. Instead, he shows up late and insists on unification based on his own recognition."

Lee also expressed discomfort with Ahn’s conditions for unification. He said, "What’s absurd is that when he was perceived as a progressive, he yielded to former Mayor Park Won-soon and President Moon Jae-in. But when it comes to the conservative side, he keeps saying, 'Let’s unify,' 'Let’s have a primary,' and his demands are always tough. What grudge does he have against us to come over and keep imposing such harsh conditions and spoil the atmosphere?"

He added, "He keeps talking about unification up to this point, and the message now seems to be, 'There will be no unification, but unification with Ahn (Ahn Cheol-soo) is possible' because his votes must not be shaken. I hope he stops troubling the people."