Kim Jae-won: "Ahn's Unification Proposal Was Like a Bronze Medalist Trying to Take the Gold Medal"

"An: 'They Came Up with Unfair Rules'"
"Impossible to Standardize Polling Methods"

Kim Jae-won, Supreme Council Member of the People Power Party, is speaking at the on-site Supreme Council meeting held at the People Power Party Gyeonggi Province Office in Jangan-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on the morning of last October 10. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Jung-wan] Kim Jae-won, Supreme Council Member of the People Power Party, commented on Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People Party, proposing a unification of opposition candidates, saying, "It seems like the third-place bronze medalist is thinking of a way to take the gold medal away."

On the 15th, Kim appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and explained the reasons behind Ahn's proposal for unification. He said, "First, since he himself is under pressure to unify, he wants to take the initiative in the unification and has done his best regarding unification. Second, as an extension of the first, if unification does not happen, it is solely the responsibility of the People Power Party's Yoon Seok-youl candidate, and I am not being unfaithful. Third, if unification happens as I want, then there is no possibility of becoming a candidate even by a lucky chance."

He added, "Looking at the polls, the rankings are already fixed. First is Yoon Seok-youl, second is Lee Jae-myung, and third is Ahn Cheol-soo. But it seems the third-place bronze medalist is thinking of ways, such as manipulating scores, to take the gold medal away," and said, "If this is enforced, there might be a chance, a kind of lucky break."

When asked if the People Power Party's refusal to accept the poll-based unification method despite the gap in support rates between Yoon and Ahn was due to "a sense of caution," he said, "It's not a matter of caution; (Ahn) brought up unfair rules," and claimed, "It has already been decided, but he is trying to overturn it somehow."

He continued, "If this happens, and all of Lee Jae-myung (Democratic Party) supporters choose Ahn, even if they win that way, what will happen in the general election?" he questioned.

Regarding the unification method, he stated, "Unification through polls is impossible." He added, "The polls are already set and out there, and proposing a two-person poll is an attempt to overturn that. In most cases, if a poll is conducted for unification between Ahn and Yoon, the combined support rate of Ahn and Lee would appear as Ahn's support rate," he argued.

He also said, "Even if there are behind-the-scenes negotiations, you cannot say they exist, and if they don't exist, you cannot say they don't. Such negotiations cannot be absent, but whether they influence the candidate's decision-making determines their success. General conversations between lawmakers and political forces can happen," he explained.

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