정치

Unification talks collapse between Kim Moon-soo and Han Deok-soo

입력 2025.05.08 17:45

Park kwang-yeon, Min Seo-young, Yoo Sae-seul
기사 읽기

기사를 재생 중이에요
기사 읽기

Unification talks collapse between Kim Moon-soo and Han Deok-soo

Presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party and independent presidential candidate Han Deok-soo held talks for unifying their candidacy on May 7th, but the discussions broke down. The two agreed to aim for unification by the 11th under the party's plan, while Kim distanced himself from the party-led initiative. The unprecedented clash between the presidential candidates and the party is expected to deepen as the pressure for unity intensifies.

After a meeting with Han at a restaurant in Seoul's Jongno district, Kim told reporters, “No meaningful progress has been made,” adding, “I'm feel very sorry about that.” Lee Jung-hyun, a spokesman for Han's campaign, also said, “Nothing in particular was agreed upon.” The meeting lasted about an hour and 15 minutes, beginning at 6 p.m., with no other attendees.

“I explained my own ideas for unification, but Han firmly and repeatedly said, 'As per the emergency press conference earlier,'” Kim said.

Han held an emergency press conference an hour and a half before the meeting, where he insisted on finalizing unity by the 11th, the deadline for candidate registration. He said he would not register as a candidate if unity were not achieved by then. The method of unification was delegated to the PPP. Kim argued that as a presidential candidate who holds priority in party affairs, unification should be led by the candidate.

"I have no intention of harassing the public until right before the printing of the ballots," Han said in an interview. He pushed for a swift unification and dismissed Kim’s proposed deadline of the 25th, the day of ballot printing. Han reiterated that the unification process should be managed by the PPP.

Kim said that Han had no real intention of running as an independent candidate and had not made any plans for registration and added, “Who brought out someone who has no intention of registering as a candidate at all?” He was criticizing the party leadership for rushing the unification process.

Both sides blamed each other for the breakdown of the meeting. Kim's campaign spokesman, Cho Myung-sul, said, “Kim tried to talk about various options, but he couldn't discuss it because Han insisted on sticking to his earlier statement. “Kim made no particular remarks on Han’s proposal, nor did he offer any specific suggestions to Han," said Lee, Han’s spokesperson.

정치 많이 본 기사

No additional meetings were scheduled during the talks. However, Kim issued a statement later that night saying, "I suggest to Han that we have additional meetings tomorrow." In a written briefing, Han’s spokesman Lee said, "I will adjust the existing schedule as much as possible and meet with Kim."

Pressure on Kim is expected to intensify within the party. Later that day, Kwon Sung-dong, the floor leader of the party, said at a parliamentary meeting that he would go on a hunger strike to urge Kim to make a decision. The rift between the PPP, which supports unification backed by public opinion, and Kim, who insists on “the right of priority in party affairs,” is likely to deepen.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.