Yoon Prepares Exit Strategy to "Unify into a Single Table"... 'Lee Jae-myung-Kim Dong-yeon' Alliance

People Power Party Holds on to 'Unification Possibility' Until the End
However, Also Preparing Measures for 'Breakdown' Situation

On the 25th of last month, at the SBS studio in Sangam-dong, Seoul, the 2nd political broadcast debate for the 20th presidential election candidates, hosted by the National Election Commission, took place. Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate (left), and Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party presidential candidate, are greeting each other. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporters Kum Boryeong and Park Juni] With 7 days left until the presidential election and 2 days until early voting, the People Power Party is holding on to the possibility of 'unification' with Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, until the very end. As physical time is running out, they are also preparing countermeasures in case unification fails. Kim Dong-yeon, the presidential candidate of the New Wave party, declared his support for Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party along with his withdrawal.

On the 2nd, Kim Jae-won, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, appeared on TBS radio and said, "Efforts for unification must naturally continue until the final voting day," adding, "Everyone acknowledges that (unification) is the most effective and certain strategy for regime change." A People Power Party lawmaker also said in a phone interview, "It would be beneficial for us to keep the door open for unification until the last moment." Although there may be wasted votes due to early voting, they judge that the votes that can come to Yoon’s side through unification with candidate Ahn are relatively more numerous.

Yoon’s camp is still exploring the possibility of unification with Ahn’s side through various channels. A member of the election campaign headquarters said, "Many people are currently working hard on this." Regarding meetings after the TV debate held that day, the decision was left entirely to candidate Yoon. However, since Ahn’s side is maintaining a hardline stance of 'unification failure,' unification is not an easy situation. Hong Kyung-hee, spokesperson for the People’s Party Central Election Committee, said in a statement the day before, "The only condition Ahn proposed was that the two candidates be evaluated together in front of the people," and criticized, "People Power Party lawmakers still talk about unification and cannot let go of candidate Ahn, resembling a stalker beyond unrequited love." They continue to insist on ‘no unification’ unless it is through a public opinion poll, but it seems physically difficult to implement in the remaining time.

The People Power Party also came up with countermeasures. Kwon Young-se, head of the People Power Party’s election campaign headquarters, met with reporters after the campaign headquarters meeting at the National Assembly and responded to questions about unification by saying, "We are waiting now, but it is not easy," adding, "Then I think the only option is unification through votes." In fact, this is an appeal to vote for candidate Yoon, who has higher support in polls, while raising the ‘Ahn Cheol-soo wasted vote theory.’

They also seem to be paying attention to the situation after unification. On the same day, Won Hee-ryong, head of the People Power Party’s policy headquarters, said on CBS radio, "Unification is always open, but even if unification ultimately fails, issues of inclusion and integration remain fundamental tasks when in power," adding, "We cannot treat each other as if we will never see each other again just because unification is over."

The ruling party is accelerating the big tent strategy. On the same day, Kim Dong-yeon held a press conference at his presidential campaign office in Yeouido, Seoul, and announced, "I am stepping down from the presidential candidacy." The day before, Kim met with candidate Lee Jae-myung and agreed on a ‘joint declaration for political change’ focusing on forming a national unity government after the election, shortening the presidential term by one year, and electoral reform. Kim emphasized, "From today, I will tie my shoelaces again to support candidate Lee’s victory," and "I will create a bigger wind so that the spark of ‘breaking vested interest politics’ spreads like wildfire."

Regarding his future activities, Kim said, "If requested to support candidate Lee’s victory, I will actively participate in campaigning." In response, Kwon Young-se, head of the People Power Party’s election campaign headquarters, commented, "I don’t think it will cause much damage even if we work with someone who made Gyeonggi Province’s economy difficult."

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