Seoul: The second meeting between People Power Party (PPP) presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo and former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo ended without an agreement on merging their candidacies. This development has dampened expectations for a unified conservative candidate ahead of the June 3 presidential election.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the televised one-hour meeting came after an earlier attempt failed to reach a consensus. The conservative party is struggling to field a unified candidacy against Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung in the upcoming election. Kim Moon-soo has been at odds with the party's leadership, which is urging him to merge his campaign with Han Duck-soo.
During their meeting at the National Assembly, Han emphasized the importance of unification, noting that Kim had previously mentioned the idea 22 times during the PPP primary process. Despite this, Kim dismissed Han's concerns, expressing his openness to unifying their candidacies. He criticized Han for demanding accountability at the last minute, considering Kim had already completed the PPP primary process and met all requirements.
Earlier in the day, Kim urged the PPP leadership to stop pressuring him to unify candidacies, asserting his position as the party's legitimate nominee. Han, on the other hand, encouraged Kim to fulfill his promise of unification. Kim proposed that both candidates campaign separately for a week, followed by a televised debate and public opinion polls to decide on the candidacy next week.
Tensions between Kim and the PPP leadership have escalated, leading Kim to file an injunction with the Seoul Southern District Court to prevent being replaced by another candidate. Kim, a former labor minister, was nominated by the PPP as its presidential candidate last week. Han declared his presidential bid but stated he would not register unless an agreement on unifying candidacies is reached. The deadline for candidate registration with the National Election Commission is May 11.