"Kim Moonsoo Should Make Every Effort to Persuade Han Ducksoo... Let's Tour the Country Shoulder to Shoulder"

Jang Sungmin, Former Yoon Administration Official, Voices Opinion on Social Media
"Unity and Inclusion Needed, Not Division and Confrontation"
"Han Must Be Persuaded with Utmost Effort, Like Baekgochoryeo"

While former Prime Minister Han Ducksoo has declined the position of co-chairman of Kim Moonsoo's People Power Party presidential campaign, there have been calls within the conservative bloc that he should be persuaded with utmost effort. Jang Sungmin, former Director of Future Strategy Planning under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, stated on social media on the 14th, "Kim Moonsoo should become a politician, not just a fighter. He should be a figure of unity and inclusion, not division and confrontation," adding, "To achieve this, he must prevent the defection of existing rivals and adopt a 'shoulder-to-shoulder strategy' to move forward together with them."

Kim Moonsoo, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, and former Prime Minister Han Ducksoo are leaving after their second meeting for candidate unification at Sarangjae, National Assembly, on the 8th.

Jang continued, "Just yesterday, the Hong Junpyo camp packed up and defected to the Lee Jaemyung camp. In some recent polls, Kim Moonsoo has still failed to secure a majority of votes in TK (Daegu-Gyeongbuk), the main stronghold of conservatives. This is evidence that the traditional conservative base in TK is wavering." He added, "It is shocking that the People Power Party candidate has failed to secure a majority in TK with just over 20 days left until the election. This shows that core conservative voters are remaining in their burrows, indifferent to the election. Kim must prioritize mobilizing these core supporters."

Jang explained, "The reason these core voters are indifferent to the election may partly be the impact of the (former President Yoon) impeachment, but a bigger reason appears to be the backlash from breaking the promise of candidate unification with former Prime Minister Han." He continued, "Another poll shows that the gap in support between Kim Moonsoo and Lee Jaemyung in Seoul is widening. This signals that Kim is increasingly losing centrist votes in the capital region, and disappointment over the failure to unify with Han is one of the key factors."

He emphasized, "For centrist voters, the economy is the core issue. National unity, which can overcome destructive regionalism and prevent division, is also important. There is also strong interest in overcoming the tariff war sparked by Trump. That is why there was high interest in unification with 'economic man' Han Ducksoo," adding, "Compared to Han, Kim is less effective in dominating issues related to the economy, unity, constitutional reform, and centrist values."

He went on, "The only person capable of quickly awakening the indifferent core conservative voters, achieving party unity, expanding support to the center, and proposing solutions to the economic crisis is former Prime Minister Han Ducksoo. To attract both core and swing voters, Han must be persuaded with even more effort than 'Samgochoryeo'?it must be 'Baekgochoryeo.' Therefore, Kim should launch a 'shoulder-to-shoulder campaign' to travel the country together with Han, not as Kim Moonsoo alone, but as 'Kim Deoksu' (Kim Moonsoo + Han Ducksoo)."

Jang further stated, "If Kim Moonsoo, who is from Yeongnam, and Han Ducksoo, who is from Honam, join hands to overcome regional division and focus on national unity, constitutional reform, and economic issues, the outcome of the election, with just over 20 days remaining, will become completely unpredictable. Kim must do his utmost to persuade Han. There is still time to overturn the current situation more than a dozen times."

According to Yonhap News on the 12th, Han Ducksoo's side stated, "Han has declined the campaign chairman position proposed by Kim Moonsoo," adding, "Fundamentally, the person running in the election should serve as campaign chairman if the party wants to win." The previous day, Han reportedly told Kim, who had just been confirmed as the candidate, that "it would be better to discuss what would be appropriate in practical terms" regarding the campaign chairman role.