Kim Yong-nam "If unified, the party leader position goes to Ahn"... Kim Cheol-geun "So pathetic... Do you even know what you're saying?"

Former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Yong-nam [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Jung-wan] Former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Yong-nam stated that "Party Leader Lee Jun-seok was the obstacle" to the failure of the opposition unification between People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Seok-yeol and People’s Party candidate Ahn Cheol-soo. In response, Lee Jun-seok’s camp expressed discomfort, saying, "How could such remarks possibly help our candidate at this point?"

On the 1st, former lawmaker Kim said on TBS Radio's 'Shin Jang-sik's Shin Jang Open' program, "To give a very practical, non-broadcast-oriented explanation, when we talk about unification, we discuss grand narratives, but behind the scenes, there must be some concrete plans," adding, "From the opposition (People Power Party) perspective, if Candidate Ahn were to unify in a concessionary manner, there are very few options we can offer him."

He continued, "People often mention positions like Prime Minister, but would the Democratic Party agree to that? The Prime Minister must be approved by a parliamentary vote, and the Democratic Party would never allow it," and argued, "If there is any politically meaningful or significant position, it would only be the party leader position based on a merger between the People Power Party and the People’s Party."

When the host asked, "Would Leader Lee Jun-seok accept that?" former lawmaker Kim said, "Unification based on a merger means giving up the home turf."

In response, Kim Cheol-geun, the People Power Party’s party leader’s political affairs office chief, immediately expressed discomfort, saying, "It is truly pathetic how much this person knows about the details to say such things on air in this manner."

On the same day, Kim Cheol-geun posted on his Facebook, "This person has caused controversies on broadcasts before," adding, "I feel ashamed that someone like this still represents the party on broadcasts." He further said, "I think he should decide his own position," and added, "This is a critical time with only a week left until the presidential election. It is worrisome."

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