Kim Moon-soo, the People Power Party presidential candidate, and Han Dong-hoon, the former representative, stood side by side and held hands on the 26th. They appealed for support together, saying, “Let’s stop Lee Jae-myung’s world together.”
The two made their first joint campaign appearance since Kim was officially elected as the presidential candidate at the party convention on the 3rd, showing a ‘one team’ picture just 8 days before the election.
◇ South Korea's surprise appearance without prior notice... “Let’s stop Lee Jae-myung’s world together”
That evening, the Banghak intersection in Dobong-gu, Seoul, was filled with more than 200 people. At 6:08 p.m., Kim appeared first at the campaign site and began his speech.
Kim said, “It has been a lot of hardships such as impeachment and martial law, right? We will bow deeply with an apology and show our commitment to do better.” He then bowed with Kweon Seong-dong and Na Kyung-won, co-chairs of the campaign committee, who were standing behind the podium.
On that day, rumors circulated before the campaign started that Han would appear about an hour beforehand. Since the official campaign began on the 12th, Han had only been conducting individual support campaigns, raising speculation within and outside the party.
However, on that day, expectations rose as figures including ‘pro-Han (Han Dong-hoon)’ lawmakers Seo Beom-soo, Park Jeong-ha, and Han Ji-ha appeared at one side of the stage.
About 15 minutes into Kim's speech, around 6:23 p.m., Han came up on stage. Kweon, who was standing behind, stepped down. The red campaign outfit worn by Han had ‘Kim Moon-soo’ written on it, without any mention of ‘2nd People Power Party.’
Looking pleased, Kim smiled brightly as he took Han’s hand. He added, “Do you know that Han Dong-hoon came here? His popularity is even better,” prompting applause.
Taking the microphone, Han exclaimed, “Let’s work together to block the incompetent Lee Jae-myung world. I came here with that determination.” As some supporters in front of the podium yelled insults such as “bad guy,” others could be heard saying, “Don’t do that, we’re together.”
Nonetheless, Han, undeterred, proclaimed, “This election will be determined by the moderate voters. We need to ensure that they vote for Kim Moon-soo here.” He urged, “To do that, we must firmly draw the line regarding the martial law defense theory and the election fraud conspiracy theory, and we must reform the pro-Yoon (Yoon Suk-yeol) faction’s outdated politics to move towards victory. Believe in what I say, and we will win.”
As Han finished his speech, Kim responded, “Please give a big round of applause to Chairman Han. We will definitely win. We will meet the day we hold hands and win. Let’s go together!”
Kim continued, “As Chairman Han mentioned, many of you have come here because you are worried that such a person (candidate Lee Jae-myung) should never become president, right?” He again urged the crowd to respond.
He then said, “(Candidate Lee) has committed many crimes, so he is too scared to give a speech. I am not wearing a bulletproof vest,” as he opened his campaign jacket. The T-shirt he wore had the phrase ‘Unity President Kim Moon-soo.’
Kim appealed again, saying, “How can we prevent a dictatorship? I am powerless. We must gather each of your clean votes to surely block the dictatorship and achieve democracy.”
◇ Emphasized 'one team'... but conflicts over 'pro-Yoon eradication' persist
As Han, who faced off against Kim in the third round of the presidential primaries, held a joint campaign, reactions emerged in the People Power Party that a ‘one team’ atmosphere was forming.
However, internal conflicts still seem unresolved. Han reportedly demanded that Kweon Seong-dong resign from his position as the floor leader to Kim.
It is argued that to expand the moderate base, they need to take the lead in opposing former President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment and that the party leadership, which led to the ‘candidate replacement situation’ during the primary process, must take responsibility and step down.
On that day, Han also directly requested at the campaign site that Kim must decisively reform the pro-Yoon faction’s outdated politics. Kim made no separate comments related to this during his speech.
Kweon, who has been identified as a key figure in the ‘pro-Yoon outdated politics,’ appeared to emphasize ‘unity.’
Before the campaign in Dobong, he stated at the Po-eun Art Gallery square in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, “We have not been able to unify due to dividing our supporters while competing too fiercely in the primaries. If we cannot overcome the differences of thought within us, we will never be able to make Kim our president.”
Kweon, during a previous press conference, also stated regarding the demands for the ‘pro-Yoon outdated politics’ eradication, “That is his (Han's) personal opinion, and please confirm whether the majority of our party members agree with that opinion.”
He added, “Now is a time to focus less on internal party messages and more on what kind of South Korea will be under candidate Lee Jae-myung if he takes power, as this will be the foundation for winning this election.”
Additionally, former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who clashed over the ‘forced unification situation,’ continues to remain in hiding. Hong Joon-pyo, a former Daegu mayor who left the People Power Party in disappointment during the primaries, recently drew attention by supporting Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party as he completed his presidential campaign.