Kwon Youngse: "'Unification Before the 18th' Impossible... Will Resign as Emergency Committee Chair if Not Achieved by the 11th"

Kwon: "If Unification with Han Occurs After Candidate Registration, Number 2 Ballot Cannot Be Used"
"Han Must Also Bear Party Name, Election Organization, and Costs"

Kwon Youngse, Chairman of the People Power Party Emergency Response Committee, stated on May 8 that the proposal by presidential candidate Kim Moonsoo for unification with former Prime Minister Han Ducksoo before May 18 is virtually impossible. He announced that if unification is not achieved by the presidential candidate registration period (May 10-11), he will resign from his position as committee chairman.

On the afternoon of the same day at the National Assembly, Chairman Kwon held an emergency press conference and said, "We must achieve unification before the presidential candidate registration deadline on May 11, and nominate a candidate who can defeat the Lee Jaemyung faction as candidate number 2 of the People Power Party."

Chairman Kwon first targeted Lee Jaemyung, the leading presidential contender of the Democratic Party, and the Democratic Party itself, stating, "No matter how much the Democratic Party and the Lee Jaemyung faction call for a rightward shift and wear the mask of rationality and reason, their true nature never changes." He emphasized, "They are an interest group united by blind loyalty to those in power and a thirst for power," and stressed that their rise to power must be prevented.

To this end, Chairman Kwon explained that it is necessary to field a candidate who is even 0.1% more competitive against Lee, and that unification is absolutely essential.

Kwon Youngse People Power Party Emergency Response Committee Chairman is holding a press conference related to unification at the National Assembly on the 8th. 2025.5.8 Photo by Kim Hyunmin

He said, "With our current strength alone, it is difficult to stop the Lee Jaemyung faction. The people and party members are demanding that we broaden our common ground through anti-Lee sentiment and constitutional reform, build a bigger house, unite everyone's hearts, and confront the Lee Jaemyung faction together. I know well that (candidate unification) is not an easy path. However, we have no choice but to take this difficult path now, and we must do so as soon as possible."

Addressing candidate Kim, who demonstrated his will for unification during the People Power Party primary by promoting the 'Kimdeoksu' (Kim Moonsoo + Han Ducksoo) ticket, Kwon said, "During the party convention, he himself clearly expressed his intention for unification. As a candidate who consistently advocated unification from the very beginning of the primary if former Prime Minister Han ran, he pledged to meet immediately and achieve a swift and fair unification, declaring that 'Kimdeoksu' is the only surefire winning card." He warned, "If that promise is broken, the credibility of politics and the honor of leadership will inevitably collapse."

If unification is achieved after the presidential candidate registration deadline, the People Power Party's candidate number 2 will be Kim, and independent Han will be assigned a lower number. In this scenario, if unification is achieved with Han, the People Power Party would have to contest the election without being able to use the prominent number 2. Since Han would not be the People Power Party's candidate, it is highly likely that he would not be able to use the party name, election organization and capabilities, or the approximately 50 billion KRW in election funds.

Chairman Kwon also commented on this, saying, "It is very regrettable that those who should know better are making such arguments (for unification after the 11th). It is self-evident that our unified candidate must be able to fully utilize the People Power Party's name, organization, election capabilities, and resources in order to win on the battlefield."

He continued, "It is absolutely not the case that we are denying or not recognizing candidate Kim. No matter what anyone says, our party's candidate is Kim. It is an undeniable fact that Kim was selected as the People Power Party's presidential candidate through our party's legitimate procedures." However, he added, "If we lose the presidential election due to Kim's misjudgment during this unification process, not only Kim but our entire party will be committing a grave sin against history and the people."

When asked by a reporter whether, if the second unification meeting between Kim and Han scheduled for the afternoon at the National Assembly Sarangjae breaks down, the party would consider replacing the candidate based on a public opinion poll, Chairman Kwon said, "For now, we will continue with the public opinion polls. After that, in order to achieve unification by the 10th, and more broadly, for victory in the presidential election, we will deeply consider what more we can do, and if necessary, make a decision." However, he refrained from specifying what that decision might be.

When another reporter asked whether there would be any legal issues with replacing the presidential candidate based on a public opinion poll, he replied, "It is difficult to answer regarding matters that have not yet been decided."

Regarding the roadmap after the public opinion poll, he said, "After reviewing the poll results, we will first hold a meeting centered on the emergency committee to hear various opinions, and then, through further discussion, the emergency committee and the party's election management committee will have to make the final decision." However, he added, "We are not thinking that far ahead yet."

In response to the criticism that "Kim never said during the primary that he would unify based on a public opinion poll," Kwon said, "It would be best if it could be settled through direct negotiation." He continued, "There have been direct negotiations in the past, but in many cases, unification has been achieved through public opinion polls." He cited the cases of former President Roh Moo-hyun and candidate Chung Mongjoon, as well as Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon and candidate Ahn Cheolsoo, adding, "If the difference in support rates is so great that one side must concede, then direct negotiation without a poll would suffice, but in situations where that is not the case, a poll is unavoidable."

Kim Moonsoo, the People Power Party presidential candidate (right), and Han Ducksoo, an independent presidential preliminary candidate, are shaking hands at a restaurant in Jongno-gu, Seoul on May 7, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyunmin