Choi Jin-seok "If No Official Response from Kukhim, May Declare Unification Collapse"

"Unification Discussions Prevail... Structure That Prevents Emergence of Leading Nation Leap Agenda"
"Only Interested in Grabbing Power for the People Power Regime... Must Think About State Administration After Gaining Power"

Choi Jin-seok, Standing Election Countermeasures Committee Chairman of the People’s Party

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kang Wooseok] On the 15th, Choi Jin-seok, Standing Committee Member of the People’s Party Election Committee, stated regarding the opposition unification with the People Power Party, "It seems that the People Power Party has no intention of unifying."

Choi appeared on MBC Radio’s Kim Jong-bae’s Focus and said, "We (the People’s Party) need to complete the race, but socially, discussions about unification are so widespread that agendas like advancing to a leading country, which we aim for, cannot emerge," adding, "I proposed unification to directly confront the unification discussions."

When asked by the host whether Ahn Cheol-soo could officially declare the failure of unification if the People Power Party does not provide an official and responsible response, he replied, "He could officially declare it."

Choi criticized, "Judging by their (People Power Party officials’) remarks, it seems they have no intention of unifying. They seem only interested in seizing power," and added, "The reason we raised unification is not limited to gaining power but to express that unification is necessary because there will be difficulties in governing after gaining power."

Regarding the joint government theory, he emphasized, "Whether or not to take a position or consider the party is not really a major consideration for candidate Ahn," and added, "The most important thing is to agree on the national vision and innovation tasks, conduct a public opinion poll, then become running mates to complement each other’s shortcomings and move forward together. That’s all."

Regarding People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok’s demand for Ahn’s withdrawal, he raised his voice, saying, "What we can read from such remarks is that there is no intention of unification," and "Demanding withdrawal from someone who should cooperate after unification is like demanding surrender."

He argued, "Whether the vote share is 10% or 5%, Ahn’s importance has grown in various issues such as regime change or era change," and "The most important thing is whether he thinks about governance after winning, whether he has the intention to unify or not. This is the most important."

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