Kim Moon-soo, the People Power Party presidential candidate, sharply criticized Han Duck-soo, an independent preliminary candidate, on the 8th, saying, “It means he will join the party if he is given a 'palanquin' before the 11th unification.” He also asserted that there are forces behind the candidacy of Han.
Kim noted his position regarding the most significant political issue, the unification of the conservative camp, at a discussion invited by the Kwanhun Club held at the Seoul Press Center.
He particularly criticized Han's declaration the previous day that if unification does not take place by the registration deadline for candidates on the 11th, he would not register as a main candidate. Kim said, “It means that he will join the party if unification happens and he is given a 'palanquin', but otherwise he will not register or join the party,” questioning, “What is his true identity?”
Before the discussion, Kim held a press conference and presented a unification roadmap that included a debate on the 14th and a public opinion poll on the 15th and 16th. This was a counterproposal to the party's suggestion of “a debate on the 8th and a public opinion poll from the 8th to the 9th.” He raised concerns, stating, “There is enough time for unification at least 18 to 20 days before the voting day on June 3rd. Is it right for a person who says he won’t register as an independent or join the party to be asked to unify with a 'ghost' by the 11th?”
He also responded to the question of whether he thought someone planned to run Han by saying, “I view it that way.” However, when asked who the forces behind Han are, he replied, “I’d rather not discuss that.”
Kim targeted the weakness of Han, who has no political experience, stating, “Has he ever even tried running for a local assembly election?” He added, “Ban Ki-moon, a former Secretary-General of the United Nations who is similar to Han in terms of public service, quit just a few days after entering the race. This situation is chaotic. If there is a guarantee that someone who has never experienced this will defeat the outrageous candidate Lee Jae-myung, then I would carry him on my back.”
Regarding the party's call for “unification before the 11th,” he criticized, saying, “This is an act of some leaders of the party trying to oust a candidate elected through proper procedures and a fair primary.” He continued, “It’s also clear that they are planning and executing scenarios for candidate replacement.”
Kim said, “Unification of candidates is an urgent task for winning the presidential election,” while emphasizing that “candidate unification needs to be pursued in a way that can be understood by the public and party members to be effective.” He questioned, “If several people in a party that failed to protect the presidency twice conspire to oust the presidential candidate, will party members and the public accept that?”
On the state of emergency and impeachment, Kim showed a somewhat changed stance. He stated, “The state of emergency is truly wrong” and admitted, “We cannot avoid apologizing for our party's shameful behavior regarding impeachment. We need a sincere apology and reflection.” Previously, in the primary process, he responded to demands for a public apology concerning the state of emergency and impeachment by saying, “It should be discussed that more than 30 members of the Democratic Party engaged in a roll call impeachment, special investigation, and budget cuts during the process of former President Yoon's state of emergency and impeachment,” adding, “It’s not that we cannot apologize, but we will report once we comprehensively understand the causes of the impeachment.”
Regarding the necessity of expelling former President Yoon Suk-yeol, he reaffirmed his previous position, saying, “Unless he says he will resign, it's not in line with the principles of a party for the leadership to say, ‘We will cut him off if he becomes unpopular.’”
In response to criticisms that “the unification roadmap proposal has been delayed,” he cited the uncooperative attitude of the party leadership. After the discussion, he told reporters, “My argument was that we would form a campaign committee and discuss unification within that committee,” stating that “the official position of the People Power Party was to unify first and then form the campaign committee. That's why it was delayed this way.”
Kim is scheduled to meet with Han at the National Assembly's Sarangjae coffee shop at 4:30 p.m. that day. However, there are observations that if the differences regarding the timing of unification are not narrowed, it may be difficult to expect results this time as well. Kim said, “For now, I will engage in dialogue,” but he also noted, “Yesterday, Han held an emergency press conference at 4:30 p.m., stating that if unification does not happen by the 11th, he will not register as a candidate, so how can I work with someone who says he won't participate?”