One Day Before the Opposition Party Convention Final Vote... Uncertain '97 Group Unification'

Park Yong-jin and Kang Hoon-sik Fail to Unite Before Main Primary Voting on the 3rd
Park: "Future Alliance of More Than Half the Opposition" vs Kang: "Opposition to Political Engineering-Based Unification"
Anti-Lee Jae-myung Strategy, Uncertainty Over Unification Due to Value Differences

Democratic Party of Korea's Park Yong-jin (left) and Kang Hoon-sik (right), candidates for party leader election.

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Yunjin Kim] The biggest issue in the Democratic Party's August 28 leadership election is the unification of the '97 Group' (those who entered university in the 1990s and born in the 1970s) candidates Park Yong-jin and Kang Hoon-sik (in ballot order). However, even one day before the main election voting begins on the 3rd, the possibility of unification remains uncertain as the differences between the two candidates have not been narrowed.

Both Park and Kang agree on the necessity of unification to face the strong candidate Lee Jae-myung, but there are differences in timing and method. First, their positions on candidate Lee differ. Park has taken a sharp stance, criticizing Lee's recent controversial remarks about "low-education and low-income groups supporting the People Power Party," effectively positioning himself as a 'Lee Jae-myung sniper.'

On the other hand, Kang criticizes Lee but refrains from direct targeting. At a press conference held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the 31st of last month, Kang said, "We cannot lead the party simply by opposing Lee Jae-myung," warning against the intensification of factional conflicts. He also showed discomfort with Park's 'attacking Lee Jae-myung.' On the 1st, Kang wrote on Facebook, "Attacking the frontrunner like that will not build trust for the attacking side."

Clear differences also emerged regarding the method of unification. Park insists on swift unification with Kang to minimize wasted votes. Park has advocated for unification among anti-Lee candidates since before the preliminary leadership election and has expressed the view that unification must be achieved before the main election voting begins on the 3rd. In an interview with TBS Radio on the 1st, Park said, "Out of respect for party members and to maximize their right to choose, the sooner (unification) happens, the better."

Conversely, Kang believes unification should be decided after sufficient discussion about the vision. In an interview with MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' on the 2nd, Kang pointed out, "(Park) seems to be campaigning for unification just because he came in second in the polls," adding, "If you cannot explain why unification is necessary and what it is for, the door to unification will inevitably close."

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party's August 28 leadership election will begin main election voting on the 3rd for party members in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk and Gangwon regions. It is known that there are no plans for a meeting between Representative Park and Representative Kang on the 2nd, making unification before the main election voting practically impossible. Both candidates are focusing on winning votes by meeting with party members in their respective regions.

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