Lee Junseok's Camp Reveals "Pro-Yoon Figures Proposed Unification in Exchange for Party Leadership"

"Party Leadership Structure in Mind, Avoiding Responsibility After Defeat"
Unification Deadline Is May 24, the Ballot Printing Date

Kim Moonsoo, the People Power Party presidential candidate, and Lee Junseok, the Reform New Party presidential candidate, are attending the Seoul Forum for Accompanying the Underprivileged held at Seoul City Hall on the 19th. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Amid various interpretations regarding a potential conservative candidate unification, there has been a revelation that pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Sukyeol) figures within the People Power Party have proposed to Lee Junseok, the Reform New Party presidential candidate, "Let's unify, and we will give you party leadership."

On the 21st, Lee Donghun, spokesperson for the Reform New Party, wrote on his Facebook page, "Recently, People Power Party figures have been calling Lee Junseok's camp frequently to suggest unification. Most of them are pro-Yoon figures," adding, "They say things like, 'Let's unify and we'll give you the party leadership,' or 'Come in and take over the party.' However, they want Kim Moonsoo to be the presidential candidate."

He offered two interpretations of these calls for unification. Lee Donghun stated, "The first is a calculation with the post-presidential election party leadership structure in mind. These figures are anxious that Han Donghoon might seize the People Power Party leadership after the election," adding, "They seem to think it would be better for Lee Junseok to take the party leadership. They don't appear to be particularly interested in the outcome of this presidential election, and their sole concern seems to be who will control the party afterward."

He continued, "The second is an attempt to create an alibi to avoid responsibility for defeat," adding, "Even if they lose the election, they want to preemptively frame it as 'We lost because Lee Junseok refused unification,' essentially looking for someone to share the blame."

The People Power Party has recently continued to send love calls to Lee Junseok. At a presidential candidate debate hosted by the Korea Broadcasting Journalist Club at the MBN Media Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on this day, Kim Moonsoo said, "Lee's policies are not different from those of the People Power Party, and he knows many party figures even better than I do," adding, "In the end, I expect that he will unify with me and become a key figure in leading us to a great victory in the presidential election."

Meanwhile, the practical deadline for 'conservative unification' is May 24, the day before the ballot papers are printed. If Kim Moonsoo and Lee Junseok reach a unification agreement before the ballot printing date, the withdrawn candidate's section on the ballot will be marked in red with the word 'withdrawn.'

If unification occurs after ballot printing begins on May 25, the ballot will still display the candidate numbers, party names, and candidate names as originally planned?such as 'No. 2 People Power Party Kim Moonsoo' and 'No. 4 Reform New Party Lee Junseok'?without any special 'withdrawn' marking, significantly reducing the impact of unification.