The People Power Party officially proposed on the 7th to hold a ‘one-on-one candidate debate’ via YouTube live stream (at 6 p.m. on the 8th) to finalize the unification between candidate Kim Moon-soo and independent preliminary candidate Han Duck-soo before the deadline for candidate registration, which is on the 11th.
In particular, attention is drawn to whether the proposed debate will dramatically take place as the two candidates have agreed to meet again on the 8th, amidst a situation where time is tight and alternative methods of unification may be sought.
Shin Dong-uk, the chief spokesperson, met with reporters after the People Power Party's general assembly that day and noted, “We will propose such a candidate unification roadmap to both sides.”
Shin, the chief spokesperson, said, “Today (the 7th) in the afternoon, the two candidates met but had no results. I heard they are set to meet again tomorrow afternoon,” and added, “If the unification issue is not resolved through negotiations between the candidates, then we have our own way to present (the roadmap).”
He continued, “Of course, whether the candidates will accept the (roadmap) or not is unknown at this time,” and explained, “If an agreement on unification principles is reached through negotiations between the candidates, then it may lead to a different phase from that point on.”
Shin, the chief spokesperson, added, “This is certainly not a roadmap to artificially change any candidate; it is for candidate unification,” stating that the sole candidate could either be Kim Moon-soo or Han Duck-soo.
The meeting between candidates Kim Moon-soo and Han Duck-soo held that afternoon ended without any significant agreement. Han Duck-soo reiterated, “I will leave everything to the party,” while Kim Moon-soo stated, “There has been no meaningful progress.”
In response, the People Power Party began to pressure Kim's side by releasing the results of a ‘unification-related ARS survey’ conducted among its party members. Among the party members, 86.7% held the opinion that unification should occur before the candidate registration deadline (the 11th).
The atmosphere changed somewhat when candidate Kim proposed to candidate Han to meet on the 8th around 9:10 p.m. that night. Han promptly responded, “I will adjust my regional schedule as much as possible tomorrow to ensure there are no delays in the debate and unification procedures.”
Afterward, candidate Kim’s side finalized the specifics of the meeting, even providing a specific time of 4 p.m.
The People Power Party also moved busily. They convened a late-night general assembly and presented a ‘unification roadmap.’ Lee Yang-soo was appointed as the chairman of the election committee, and a one-on-one candidate debate was scheduled to take place via YouTube live stream at 6 p.m. on the 8th.
Additionally, from 7 p.m. until 4 p.m. the next day, they decided to conduct a candidate preference survey applying the initial election rule of ‘50% party member voting, 50% public opinion survey.’
The roadmap, containing this information, was approved at the National Election Commission. However, it is reported that concerns were raised by some senior lawmakers during the late-night general assembly regarding the party leadership’s forced unification.