Kim Geun-sik to Ahn: "If you dislike the merger, just say so... The public probably won't be very surprised"

Geun-sik Kim, former Director of Vision and Strategy Office of the People Power Party.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Amid ongoing tensions over the merger issue between the People Power Party and the People’s Party, Kim Geun-sik, former head of the Vision Strategy Office of the People Power Party, criticized Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, on the 3rd, saying, "If you don’t want the merger, you can just say you don’t want it."

Kim, in a post on his Facebook on the same day, said, "Just honestly declare that you won’t merge. I already expected that. The public won’t be very surprised," expressing this view.

He added, "A merger itself is a 'plus.' A merger is essentially opposition unification, so it is inherently a positive integration," and criticized, "How can a merger be a negative integration? It is Ahn’s refusal to merge that is the negative integration."

He continued, "Ahn said it was a 'negative integration where a centrist party disappears.' How does the merger of two parties cause a centrist party to disappear?" and pointed out, "As long as the unification of the moderate conservative opposition is perceived as a negative integration where a centrist party disappears, Ahn’s willingness to merge cannot be trusted, and his promise to merge is a lie."

Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People Party. [Photo by Yonhap News]

Also, Kim criticized Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, for setting the deadline for merger talks with the People’s Party from August 2 to 8, saying, "I think people might feel uncomfortable with Lee’s high-handed deadline setting. Still, if the working-level negotiations break down, it is common sense to seek a breakthrough through a meeting between party leaders," and asked, "Why is there silence regarding the inter-party leaders’ meeting proposed by Lee?"

He added, "Although Lee’s deadline setting may be rude, since Lee is asking to meet but there is silent meditation, we can only doubt the willingness to merge, which is why an excessive card like a deadline was pulled out," emphasizing, "They can just meet now."

He further said, "The current outraged attitude of the People’s Party is just nitpicking to nullify the merger talks by picking on Lee’s words. It’s a transparent act of the tail wagging the dog," and stated, "If the party name is the problem, as Rep. Jo Soo-jin of the People Power Party already suggested, ‘People Power Party’ combining both parties is sufficient."

Moreover, Kim said, "With former Audit Chief Choi Jae-hyung and former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl having joined, if Ahn just keeps his promise to merge, all opposition candidates can fairly compete in a single opposition party primary. Why would you need an open platform outside the party?" and added, "If you keep insisting on that, it can only be suspected that you don’t want to merge."

In conclusion, he emphasized again, "If the plan was from the start to break off negotiations with impossible demands, the public will watch that as it is," and said, "At least I want to remember Ahn as someone who keeps promises, but if you are going to break promises for political calculation, I hope you at least keep your honesty."

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