Yoon's Side Expresses 'Reverse Selection' Concerns Over Ahn's National Primary Proposal... "Hope for a Decision"

Senior Spokesperson I Yang-su States Yoon Seok-yeol Side's Position on Unification in Commentary on the 13th
Apparently Rejects Polling Method

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, and Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People Party, are moving after greeting each other at the "2022 Presidential Candidate Invitation Debate" hosted by the Korea Journalists Association and jointly organized by six broadcasting companies, held on the afternoon of the 11th at the Maeil Business Newspaper Media Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporters Kum Boryeong and Park Juni] Regarding Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, proposing opposition unity, Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, expressed concerns about 'reverse selection.' This effectively rejects the unification through a public opinion poll method.

Lee Yang-soo, chief spokesperson of the People Power Party’s election campaign headquarters, stated in a press release on the 13th, "The method proposed by Candidate Ahn, referred to as a 'national primary,' carries the risk of going against the public demand for regime change," adding, "Given the large gap in support rates between Candidate Yoon and Candidate Ahn, there is a high risk that the Democratic Party, which does not want regime change, and candidate Lee Jae-myung’s manipulation could exploit this as a tactic to divide the opposition."

Lee further said, "We hope Candidate Ahn will respect the public’s strong desire and cause for regime change and make a courageous decision for opposition unity," and "Candidate Yoon will engage in frank discussions with Candidate Ahn for opposition unity with an open mind." This means they are effectively rejecting the national primary proposed by Candidate Ahn and suggesting discussing other methods.

Earlier that day, Candidate Ahn held a special press conference on his YouTube channel, stating, "For a better regime change, to end the old system and pursue national unity, I propose unifying the opposition candidates," and "I look forward to a sincere response from Candidate Yoon to my proposal."

Regarding the unification method, Candidate Ahn advocated for a national primary. He emphasized, "First, jointly announce the next government’s national vision and innovation tasks before the public and promise to implement them. Then, select a unified candidate through a public opinion poll national primary. Whoever becomes the candidate, they will become each other’s running mate, leading to an overwhelming victory," and "If the decision on who is more suitable to lead the future is left entirely to the public’s judgment, the primary will neither be complicated nor delayed."

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