Deadlock in O Sehun-Ahn Cheolsoo Unification Talks... "Standing at the Edge of the Cliff"

No progress beyond including party names in questions
Power struggle continues in morning talks
Goal to finalize agreement by this afternoon for unified candidate selection on the 19th
If negotiations drag on, supporter unity becomes difficult, reducing effectiveness

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] The final negotiation for unification between the two opposition candidates for Seoul mayor, Oh Se-hoon and Ahn Cheol-soo, began on the morning of the 17th but has yet to resolve the contentious issue surrounding the survey questions. Both sides are locked in a standoff, showing sharp disagreements over the survey questions and methods. The negotiation must be concluded by the afternoon to proceed with the survey and announce the unified candidate by the targeted date of the 19th.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The working-level negotiation teams of the People Power Party and the People’s Party continued discussions until late at night the previous day but only agreed to include party names in the survey questions. The negotiation resumed on the morning of the 17th with a power struggle over the publicly disclosed negotiation details. Earlier, Candidate Oh criticized on a radio show, saying, "(Ahn’s side) is insisting on a method of unification that has never been used in political history, asking questions like who is advantageous or disadvantageous." In response, Lee Tae-gyu, Secretary-General of the People’s Party, countered, "That statement is made without any knowledge of the facts," adding, "One way to measure competitiveness is through hypothetical matchups." Regarding the survey questions, the People Power Party is reportedly advocating a mixed approach combining suitability preferred by Candidate Oh and competitiveness preferred by Candidate Ahn.

The method of conducting the survey is also a point of contention. The People Power Party proposed mixing landline numbers with the safe numbers composed only of mobile phones, which sparked controversy. Safe numbers were introduced to avoid data bias that can occur when using landline numbers, and this proposal is seen as regressive. Secretary-General Lee stated, "Suggesting mixing landline numbers into the survey is really an unreasonable claim," indicating no room for compromise.

To meet the unification deadline of the 19th announced by both candidates, the survey must start by the afternoon of the 17th. Typically, securing a sample size of over 1,000 respondents requires 6 to 12 hours for the survey process. Both sides initially allocated two days for the survey for this reason. If the sample is not secured, statistical adjustment work will be necessary, which could lead to further disputes.

If unification is not achieved by the 19th, the final deadline could shift to the ballot printing day (29th) or the early voting day (next month 2nd). However, in this case, the election itself could unfold amid unification negotiations, and there is analysis that the chemical bonding of opposition supporters would be difficult, diminishing the effect of unification.

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