With the early voting period (29th to 30th) for the June 3 local elections drawing near, Democratic Party of Korea leader Jung Chung-rae commented on the unification of pro-government candidates in the National Assembly re-election in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, stating, “It is realistically challenging.”
Leader Jung participated in Kim Ou-joon’s YouTube stream on the same day in the morning, and made comments about the potential unification of the Democratic Party’s Kim Yong-nam candidate with the Rebuilding Korea Party’s Cho Kuk candidate.
Leader Jung revealed the meeting that took place between Democratic Party Secretary-General Jo Seung-rae and Rebuilding Korea Party Secretary-General Lee Hae-min the day before, saying, “After receiving the report, it appears they met, but there was no meaningful conversation about unification.” This is seen as an indication that they were unable to reach a consensus on unification.
In response to concerns about Kim’s nominee running a loan business under a different name, Leader Jung also shared his views on the differing opinions within the party. He stated, “It is true that some party members wish to strongly support Kim as he is the Democratic Party’s candidate, while others are not in agreement,” and continued, “Since even the party leader is unable to determine whether the candidate should resign, I hope Kim will take the initiative to clarify the situation and handle it effectively.”
Concerning the potential unification of People Power Party’s candidate Yoo Ui-dong and Freedom and Innovation Party’s candidate Hwang Kyo-ahn, who are both competing in Pyeongtaek, Leader Jung stated, “We need to be ready for any scenario,” and further mentioned, “If this situation occurs, we will reevaluate our approach.” This is seen as suggesting the party leadership’s possible active role in merging Kim and Cho’s campaigns if conservative candidates unite.
At present, the Democratic Party and the Rebuilding Korea Party are locked in a psychological battle regarding the unification of the Kim and Cho candidates. On the 27th, the Rebuilding Korea Party once more expressed concerns about Kim’s nominee operating a loan company under a false name and called on the Democratic Party to “make a quick decision.” This move aims to push for unification under Cho. In reply, Kim’s team retaliated by stating, “Investigate the charges under which Cho himself was sentenced to prison and served time.”
On the other hand, Yoo Ui-dong from the People Power Party and Hwang Kyo-ahn from the Freedom and Innovation Party recently met face-to-face but reportedly could not resolve their disagreements regarding the approach to unification. Nevertheless, Yoo mentioned on KBS Radio, “There is no reason we cannot achieve unification,” while Hwang also noted in a phone conversation with this newspaper, “We are discussing through various channels,” indicating potential for a last-minute deal.
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