Flood of Calls for Party Assembly
Pressure Mounts on Kim Moonsoo for Unification
The People Power Party convened an emergency general assembly of its lawmakers at 7:00 p.m. on May 5. This move comes as calls within the party have grown louder for a swift unification between Kim Moonsoo, the People Power Party’s presidential candidate, and Han Ducksoo, the independent preliminary candidate and former Prime Minister. The assembly is expected to gather opinions on this matter.
On the same day, floor leader Kwon Seongdong announced that the general assembly of lawmakers would be held at 7:00 p.m. in the main conference room of the National Assembly.
This decision was made in response to a flood of requests from lawmakers, mainly through the party’s group messenger chat, for a general assembly to be convened.
Kim Moonsoo, the People Power Party presidential candidate (left), and Han Ducksoo, an independent presidential preliminary candidate, are entering the Buddha's Birthday celebration ceremony at Jogyesa Temple in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 5th. Photo by Yonhap News
In posts urging unification, about ten lawmakers, including senior members, described the situation as a “life-or-death moment” and warned that “division means certain defeat,” calling for the assembly to be convened. Park Sooyoung, a lawmaker who had been part of Kim’s campaign, also wrote on Facebook, “We must quickly unite and go after Lee Jaemyung.”
Some four-term lawmakers of the People Power Party, such as Kim Doeup, Kim Sanghoon, and Park Deokheum, held a press conference that day, urging “a swift and wise decision from both Kim and Han.” They demanded that unification be achieved before the candidate registration deadline of May 11.
The push for rapid unification within the party stems from a subtle difference in stance between Han’s camp and Kim’s camp regarding the process. The party and Han’s side believe that the unification process should be accelerated, while Kim’s camp maintains that more time is needed.
A representative from Han’s camp stated that on this day, Han proposed to Kim at Jogyesa Temple in Seoul, “I hope to meet you at a convenient time and place today,” to which Kim replied, “Yes.” In contrast, Kim’s campaign later clarified to the media, “They exchanged greetings and well-wishes to meet again soon. No other remarks were made.”
Kim’s camp also expressed displeasure at the mounting pressure for unification. Choi Inho, deputy spokesperson for Kim’s campaign, wrote on Facebook, “People Power Party lawmakers who arbitrarily set May 11 as the deadline for unification and apply pressure are disregarding the status and authority of Kim Moonsoo, who was elected by the people and party members.” He added, “There is no justification for Kim Moonsoo to act according to the scenario of the Yeouido establishment.”
However, Kim’s campaign clarified, “This is not the official position of the campaign,” and added, “Kim has instructed the election committee to form a working-level team for unification efforts and hopes that progress will be made swiftly through this process.”
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