Lee: "Repeated Unification Agenda Hinders Voter Consolidation"
"Focusing on Winning Politics... Expect Significant Changes After the Second Debate"
On May 21, Lee Junseok, the presidential candidate of the Reform New Party, made it clear that he rejects the idea of a unified candidacy with Kim Moonsoo, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, stating, "Meeting would likely cause misunderstandings, so I have no intention of meeting him." Lee explained that he is only focused on convincing the public and winning the presidential election, and that he does not care about politically engineered unification efforts.
Lee made these remarks to reporters in the afternoon at Gachon University in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, after having tea with Ahn Cheolsoo, a lawmaker from the People Power Party. Ahn attended the event as part of Lee's presidential campaign program, "Let's Eat at the Student Cafeteria with Lee Junseok."
During the tea, Ahn shared with Lee stories and personal feelings from three years ago when he unified his candidacy with former President Yoon Sukyeol. He also offered advice on how to approach unification if Lee ever considered it. In addition, Ahn told Lee that he would arrange a meeting with candidate Kim in the future.
Lee commented, "He shared his experiences regarding the unification agenda, but it was not a matter of saying 'you should do this or that.' Right now, neither I nor my campaign team are considering or worrying about unification," he emphasized.
Regarding remarks made earlier in the day by Kim Yongtae, the People Power Party's Emergency Response Committee member, who said, "Lee is thinking about this on a larger scale," Lee responded, "I'll have to scold him more. We're very close, so I joked that I'd scold him if he kept saying things like that." He added, "I met with Chairman Kim today and had a routine conversation. He asked if I was secretly considering unification, but I told him I was not."
When a reporter asked, "You keep saying you won't unify, but is there any way you might talk to the People Power Party again?" Lee dismissed the idea, saying, "Repeated discussions about unification only hinder the consolidation of voter support. While symbolic compensation for damages might be possible, it is meaningless in the context of the election."
He continued, "People keep saying that money keeps going out during the election process, but in most cases, election expenses are paid before the campaign period. We completely deny any motivation for unification or accepting positions for financial reasons. Such speculation is not true. Even before leaving the People Power Party and founding the Reform New Party, there were various attempts to recruit me, but I still went ahead and founded the party."
When asked by a reporter about what extraordinary measures he has to win the presidential election, Lee replied, "I have already publicly told voters that the candidate who can win with negotiating power is Lee Junseok. If voters respond enthusiastically and move quickly, there is a possibility for a dramatic turnaround." He added, "We confirmed through internal polling that support surged after the first TV debate."
He went on to say, "Depending on how the established generation, traditional conservatives, and those over 60 respond, a framework for a turnaround can be created. Under this conclusion, we are focusing on winning politics. I believe that if I strongly appeal to centrist and conservative voters and this momentum accelerates from today, there will likely be significant changes by the end of the second debate."
Meanwhile, regarding former President Yoon Sukyeol's attendance at a movie about election fraud on the same day, Lee said, "It would be best for him to remain quiet," and pointed out, "Any action he takes will only work against us in the election."
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