Jin Joong-kwon: "I Thought Unification Wouldn't Happen... Ahn Cheol-soo Has Changed"

"To put it nicely, it means becoming mature; to put it harshly, it means becoming cunning"
"Deep empathy for supporters who believed in the Third Zone Theory"

Jin Joong-kwon, former professor at Dongyang University / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] On the 3rd, when Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, and Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People Party, declared the 'unification of opposition candidates,' former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon evaluated, "Candidate Ahn has changed."

In a post on his Facebook on the same day, former Professor Jin wrote, "(The unification) was thought to be impossible, but is the election really over like this?" He added, "If I say it positively, Candidate Ahn has matured; if negatively, he has become cunning."

He continued, "In any case, I hope this will be an opportunity for the People Power Party to transform from a hardline conservative stance to a more moderate and rational conservatism."

He also expressed regret toward voters who supported Candidate Ahn. In another post, former Professor Jin said, "I deeply sympathize with the feelings of Ahn Cheol-soo and Kim Dong-yeon (New Wave candidate) supporters who seriously believed in the third zone theory but were left alone."

Earlier, on the 2nd, Kim Dong-yeon, the New Wave candidate, withdrew from the presidential race and announced his support for Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate.

On the same day, Kim held a press conference at the New Wave camp office in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, stating, "It was not an easy decision for me. Kim Dong-yeon and New Wave will continue to lead and monitor so that the spirit of breaking vested interests is properly practiced," and emphasized, "I will tie my shoelaces again to work for the election of candidate Lee Jae-myung."

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, and Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People Party, are posing after concluding a unification press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office on the morning of the 3rd. / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, on the 3rd, candidates Yoon and Ahn held a joint press conference at the National Assembly Communication Hall and abruptly declared their unification.

They said, "We have agreed to unite for regime change as the beginning of making a better Republic of Korea, that is, a 'better regime change,'" and added, "We firmly believe without a shadow of a doubt that perfect regime change will be realized through today's unification declaration."

They continued, "We will definitely achieve regime change and prepare for an era of great transformation for the change and innovation of the Republic of Korea solely according to the will of the people."

They also agreed to promote a merger between the People Power Party and the People Party immediately after the presidential election. In their joint declaration, they expressed their aspiration, saying, "The government that the two of us want to create together is a future-oriented and reformist national unity government."

Accordingly, this presidential election will be contested in a three-way race among Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, Yoon Seok-yeol of the People Power Party, and Sim Sang-jung of the Justice Party.

Sim Sang-jung, the Justice Party presidential candidate, is holding a special press conference at the National Assembly on the morning of the 3rd. / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, Sim Sang-jung, whom former Professor Jin expressed support for, clearly stated his intention to complete the presidential race.

At a special press conference at the National Assembly on the same day, he said, "Following candidate Kim Dong-yeon, candidate Ahn Cheol-soo also decided to stop the election through unification," and criticized, "Although I have expressed my conviction for ending two-party politics and advocating multi-party politics, in the end, they have knelt before the giant parties."

He added, "If votes are concentrated on the two major parties, the two-party monopoly politics will only be strengthened," and appealed, "Now, only I, Sim Sang-jung, and the people who desire political change remain between the two major parties. Citizens who want to replace the vested two-party politics and transition to a multi-party system, please vote sincerely for me, Sim Sang-jung, without any burden."

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