People Power Party One-on-One Debate
Kim Moonsoo: "Han Responsible for Yoon's Impeachment"
Han Donghoon and Ahn Cheolsoo: "Must Cross the River of Impeachment"
Differences over Scope of Unification with Acting President Han and Lee Junseok
People Power Party presidential primary candidates engaged in a heated debate over the impeachment of former President Yoon Sukyeol during a one-on-one discussion. They also revealed differences of opinion regarding the possibility of unifying their candidacies with Han Ducksoo, the acting president and prime minister.
On April 24, the People Power Party held its second primary debate at the Channel A studio in Jongno-gu, Seoul. After former Minister Kim debated with former Chairman Han, he then faced off against Representative Ahn.
Former Minister Kim focused on holding former Chairman Han responsible for the impeachment. He asserted, "The root, responsibility, and beginning of having to hold another presidential election all lie with former Chairman Han," and added, "How is former Chairman Han, who impeached former President Yoon?someone he was personally close to?and declared it an insurrection, any different from Lee Jaemyung, the former Democratic Party chairman who forcibly committed his own brother to a psychiatric hospital?"
In response, former Chairman Han countered, "Even if my father had declared an illegal martial law, I would have stopped him," and continued, "The Democratic Party tries to label us as a martial law faction, but as the leader of the People Power Party, I will present a vision for the future to the public as the force that blocked martial law."
Regarding accusations of betrayal, former Chairman Han said, "As someone who puts the people first, I accepted the backlash and blocked martial law," and added, "If we had worked together to correct the president's mistakes, we would not have reached the point of martial law."
He continued, "I was labeled a traitor because I tried alone to change former President Yoon's mind," and criticized, "(Former Minister Kim) seems to think the impeachment was wrong, but with that mindset, you cannot win an election."
Representative Ahn also stressed to former Minister Kim the need to "cross the river of impeachment." He said, "If you are a responsible conservative, you must face the past and apologize to the people. Only by crossing the river of impeachment can we find a path to victory."
He added, "If former President Yoon had demonstrated political skill, things might have been better, but he made the worst possible choice with martial law," and pressed former Minister Kim, asking, "Do you still believe the impeachment was solely because of the Democratic Party?"
In response, former Minister Kim said to Representative Ahn, "Our party's lawmakers impeached a president from their own party," and continued, "The impeachment has brought us to a precarious situation where we could lose power. Now, Lee, the notorious criminal, is running rampant."
The three candidates also expressed differing views on the scope of candidate unification.
Former Minister Kim emphasized, "We survive if we unite, and perish if we divide," and added, "Although I don't think Han will run, to win, we must unify, whether it's with Han Ducksoo or Kim Ducksoo."
On the other hand, Representative Ahn opposed unification with Acting President Han. He explained, "Han has too many responsibilities, such as dealing with the U.S. tariff issue," and "Because the United States decides its policies within the first six months of a new administration, Han should focus on his remaining three months in office."
Former Chairman Han stated, "I will do whatever it takes and join forces to win," but also said, "It is not appropriate for the reasonable and sensible Acting President Han to let the primary process be disrupted by outside speculation."
The candidates also disagreed on unification with Lee Junseok, the presidential candidate of the Reform Party. Representative Ahn supported the idea, saying, "This is a difficult election, with 60% of the public wanting a change in government. To win, we must bring together as many anti-Lee Jaemyung forces as possible."
Former Minister Kim said, "Basically, we need to unite, but there are many complicated conditions," and reserved judgment, saying, "We need to sufficiently explore the possibilities in advance."
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