Rising Pressure for 'Unification' Surrounding An

Yoon Seok-yeol on Unification: "Something That Can Be Settled Over a Cup of Coffee"
Civil Society Figures Also Voice Support for 'Unification'

Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, is speaking at the presidential candidate invitation meeting held at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 9th. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Boryeong] Pressure for 'unification' is intensifying around Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party. Following Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, suggesting that unification could be achieved "over a cup of coffee," former Emergency Committee Chairman of the Liberty Korea Party, In Myung-jin, who has expressed support for Ahn, also strongly advocated the necessity of unification.

On the 9th, in an interview with a media outlet, candidate Yoon said, "If we trust each other and share the goal of regime change, isn’t it something that can be finished within just 10 minutes, even over a cup of coffee?" He added, "I will not engage in negotiations through something like a unification promotion committee," implying that if the issue does not become a black hole, he intends to quickly wrap it up.

Former Emergency Committee Chairman In Myung-jin said on YTN Radio that day, "I believe that the public sentiment and the command of history is to change the regime, but unfortunately, there is a general perception that candidates Yoon or Ahn, who are responsible for regime change in the opposition, are somewhat unstable to achieve regime change, which causes a lot of concern." He added, "I think no one can tolerate ignoring the public opinion asking to unite and change the regime."

The People Power Party is also focusing on the unification offensive. On the same day, party leader Lee Jun-seok said, "Once the candidate registration and official election campaign start on the 15th, campaign vehicles need to be deployed, banners need to be hung, and 255 party offices nationwide need to be established, all of which require costs. If a candidate aims to win, they must invest considerable resources and expenses in this." He continued, "From what I understand, there is almost no such movement on Ahn’s side, so I think a decision will be made before then." By mentioning the practical issue of costs, he is pressuring Ahn to make a swift decision by this weekend, before candidate registration begins.

The voices from civil society calling for unification are also likely to add pressure on candidate Ahn. On the same day, through the ‘Declaration of 100 People Wishing for a Better Regime Change,’ there was a call for ‘broader coalition politics,’ and the day before, the ‘People’s Action for Regime Change,’ composed of over 600 civic groups including the Pan-Civil Society Coalition, urged unification of opposition candidates at the National Assembly.

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