[Unification Politics] Memories... Winning Requires 'Soft' Unity

DJ, After Failed Unification, Allies with JP for Regime Change
Roh Moo-hyun, Historic Love Shot... Overcoming Unification Collapse to Win
Ahn Cheol-soo, Symbol of the Third Zone, Faces Another Test

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] In modern Korean history, whether or not to unify candidates has been the most significant turning point in elections. The 1987 "Seoul Spring" was filled with hopes of breaking away from military dictatorship, and the unification of the two Kims, Kim Dae-jung and Kim Young-sam, was the biggest topic. However, the unification ultimately failed, leading to the rise of the Roh Tae-woo administration.

Then, ten years later, in the 1997 presidential election, former President Kim Dae-jung allied with former Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil, while former lawmaker Lee In-je founded the National People's Party and ran independently, splitting the conservative vote. Kim Dae-jung won a dramatic victory over candidate Lee Hoi-chang by a margin of 1.6 percentage points.

Both progressives and conservatives came to recognize that expansion through unification was a condition for victory. Beyond the so-called "concrete support base" of both sides, it was necessary to attract support from the middle ground. Former President Roh Moo-hyun also reversed the tide through a public opinion poll-based unification with former lawmaker Chung Mong-joon. Their "love shot" remains a symbolic scene in the history of unification. Although Chung broke off the unification the day before the election, Roh was elected.

The year 2011 marked the emergence of Ahn Cheol-soo, the People's Party candidate for the Seoul mayoral by-election, who created a stir in the political arena. Establishing himself as a symbol of the third zone, it was also the starting point for becoming a key figure in future unification issues. At that time, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon resigned following a referendum opposing free school meals, and Ahn declared support for the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon. Park became the unified candidate after a joint primary with Democratic Party candidate Park Young-sun and defeated candidate Na Kyung-won.

Unification is a major solution for disadvantaged camps but is not a panacea. Above all, winning the hearts of voters during the process is crucial. In the 2012 presidential election, President Moon Jae-in and candidate Ahn negotiated unification to prevent the extension of the Lee Myung-bak administration, but there was a significant gap in opinions between the two sides. The negotiations ended when Ahn declared his withdrawal from the race, but it was largely seen as a mid-course withdrawal. Former President Park Geun-hye was elected.

Ahn is negotiating unification again this time, but the opponent has changed to the People Power Party. One of the main issues in the Seoul mayoral election is how much damage can be minimized while achieving conservative opposition unification.

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