In the conservative camp, clouds are forming over the last card to stop Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate—namely, the potential unification between Kim Moon-soo and Lee Jun-seok. Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate of the Reform Party, held an emergency press conference on the 22nd and declared that he will not communicate about unification with any person from the People Power Party moving forward.
During an unscheduled press conference at the National Assembly, Lee stated his determination to win the election with the name of Lee Jun-seok and the Reform Party, emphasizing that his name with candidate number 4 will be clearly visible on the ballot. Lee indicated that recent public opinion polls show that a strategic choice for Lee Jun-seok is the only winning formula that can surpass candidate Lee Jae-myung, and he added that with 12 days remaining until the final vote, it is more than enough time to dismantle the giant towers.
Lee expressed that the actions of the People Power Party, which kept mentioning unification with him over the past few days, were insulting, turning this election into a chaotic scene instead of a vision-filled campaign. Additionally, those who communicated offensive statements to him in 2022, urged him to commit suicide in 2023, are now appealing for unification in 2025. However, he feels this is a repeated insult each time such messages arrive on his phone. This was seen as a pointed remark aimed at the pro-Yoon group that pressured his resignation from the party leader position over allegations shortly after the 2022 presidential election.
Regarding the possibility of reversing his stance on unification, Lee stated there is no reason to change his decision, and he expressed no intention of participating in a unification method based on 100% public opinion polls. He disagreed with the so-called ‘responsibility theory for conservative defeat’ that suggests a loss would occur if he and Kim Moon-soo do not unify.
Lee’s conference, taken as a counterattack to the persistent pressure from the People Power Party, followed reports of numerous contacts from the party proposing joint government formation and public opinion polling unification. Earlier that morning, Lee mentioned on Facebook that due to growing unnecessary political engineering talk of unification being relayed to him, he had blocked all incoming calls.
The confidence behind Lee’s strategy to go solo stems from a recently rising approval rating. In opinion polls, his support has been reported at around 10% to 11%. The Reform Party expressed hope that at this pace, achieving the required 15% vote share to qualify for election cost reimbursement is possible. Lee also noted a 3 percentage point rise in approval following a recent debate, indicating the momentum is accelerating.
From a political standpoint, the lack of any substantial offer from the People Power Party for Lee in the current stronghold of candidate Lee Jae-myung was noted. Reform Party’s senior campaign official suggested that while other benefits could be offered, the candidate position itself is not up for negotiation, diminishing the meaningfulness.
With Lee drawing a firm line, it’s becoming difficult for the People Power Party to adhere to its self-imposed deadline for unification before the printing of ballots on the 25th. However, some within the party hold that there is still time until early voting starts on the 28th. This is reminiscent of the dramatic last-minute unification agreement between Ahn Cheol-soo and Yoon Seok-youl just before the early voting days of the 2022 election.
Despite Lee’s rise in approval ratings, the rising ratings of candidate Kim pose a factor that Lee cannot completely disregard in terms of unification. In recent surveys, Kim’s approval also showed a notable increase, reflecting the conservative camp’s potential consolidation to prevent a Lee Jae-myung win. In total, a combined support for Lee Jun-seok and Kim Moon-soo nearly rivals that of Lee Jae-myung.
A spokesperson for the People Power Party’s campaign said that as the election approaches, a coalition within the conservative camp to block Lee Jae-myung’s progress is expected to strengthen, and if the combined support for both candidates nears that of Lee Jae-myung, pressure to avoid defeat will intensify.