On the night of the 6th, Kim Moon-soo, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, firmly declared, “The matter of unification is no longer something the party should intervene in.” This statement was released as the party leadership was on the way to Kim’s residence, indicating that Kim intends to take control of future negotiations by asserting that the unification debate should come to an end.
At the APEC convention center in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Kim Moon-soo received visits from Um Tae-young, the secretary of the party’s second-term legislators meeting, and Kim Dae-sik, the secretary of the first-term legislators meeting, after which he announced a halt to his schedule.
In his statement, Kim declared that he would have a one-on-one meeting with candidate Han Deok-soo at 6 PM on the 7th, with the location to be announced on the day. He emphasized that this meeting was arranged at his suggestion and that there should be no further “unnecessary debates” regarding consolidation.
Kim also mentioned that he plans to have in-depth conversations with candidates who participated in the primary, indicating actions toward future political alliances.
Particularly, Kim criticized the party’s intervention in unification by emphasizing the “priority of party affairs.” He argued that “the opinion poll announced by the party leadership for tomorrow is an act that induces unnecessary conflict” and demanded its immediate cessation. He further emphasized that “from now on, the unification process will be led by the presidential candidate, and the party should focus on supporting the candidate through the central election campaign committee.”
This statement was made as party leaders, including floor leader Kwon Seong-dong and lawmakers Kim Ki-hyun and Park Deok-heum, prepared to visit Kim’s residence in Seoul. While the leadership intended to directly persuade Kim to make progress in unification negotiations, his announcement is expected to intensify conflicts over leadership.
Meanwhile, Kim canceled his campaign schedule in Gyeongju and returned to Seoul to continue his strategic moves amid intra-party tensions.