Eonju Lee and Minsik Park Unite as Busan Mayor Candidates... "Joining Forces to Catch Hyungjun Park"

Decision on Candidate Unification... Final Candidate Announcement on the 24th

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Lee Eon-ju and Park Min-sik, the People Power Party primary candidates running in the April 7 Busan mayoral by-election, have decided to unify their candidacies.

Candidate Lee Eon-ju said in a phone interview with Asia Economy on the 22nd, "After discussions following the TV debate on the 18th with candidate Park Min-sik, we have reached a final agreement on unification."

The unification of the two candidates appears to be a strategy to surpass candidate Park Hyung-joon, who has been leading in various recent opinion polls. Candidate Lee Eon-ju stated, "Most of Park Hyung-joon's supporters are from the 60s and 70s generations, and through unification, we can rally the younger support base."

Candidate Park Min-sik also said, "The biggest justification is leadership change," adding, "I believe we will receive support from the conservative 40s and 50s age groups."

Through a joint statement, the two candidates explained the purpose of unification as "to shake up the election field and select a generational change leader, a reformist leader, a leader with fewer flaws and stronger competitiveness in the general election, and a leader who will not burden the party during the presidential election phase."

The final unified candidate will be announced on the 24th after a public opinion poll targeting citizens on the 23rd.

Previously, Park Sung-hoon, a primary candidate mentioned as a potential participant in the 'three-way unification,' reportedly has not expressed willingness to join the unification with the two candidates. Candidate Park Min-sik said, "The possibility of unification is open to candidate Park Sung-hoon as well, but if he ultimately decides not to participate, there is nothing we can do."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.