Yoon: Ahn’s camp notified of collapse in talks on unifying candidacy

Feb 28, 2022, 08:38 am

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Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), speaks during a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Seoul on Feb. 27, 2022./ Photographed by Lee Byung-hwa

AsiaToday reporter Lee Wook-jae

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol said Sunday said he was ultimately notified of the collapse in talks on unifying candidacy with minor opposition presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo. In response, Ahn blamed Yoon for the breakdown, claiming Yoon’s camp did not express its opinion. Ahn’s camp said that what Yoon’s camp offered was not worth consideration, adding that the latest offer was little different from previous proposals.

As the two sides battled to avoid their responsibility for merging the candidacy, the upcoming presidential election is likely to be held with four main presidential candidates, including the ruling Democratic Party’s Lee Jae-myung, the main opposition People Power Party’s Yoon Suk-yeol, the minor opposition People’s Party’s Ahn Cheol-soo, and the progressive Justice Party’s Sim Sang-jung.

Yoon held a press conference on the merger deal process. Yoon said that the deputies of the two candidates engaged in serious negotiations and even reached a tentative agreement. “The only remaining thing was to arrange a meeting between Ahn and me,” Yoon said.

“Ahn’s side requested for us to take actions to justify Ahn’s withdrawal of candidacy to the public,” he said. “I said I will visit Ahn’s house and show him respect. But then I did not get a response on my suggestion, and then I was told Ahn had left for Mokpo (to campaign),” he said, referring to the city in South Jeolla Province.

According to Yoon, the chief negotiators, Rep. Jang Je-won of the People Power Party and Rep. Lee Tae-kyu of the People’s Party met several times and even reached a tentative agreement but Yoon was suddenly notified of the breakdown.

“If Ahn decides the time and place now, I would like to meet him to have a heart-to-heart talk. I will not give up my hope to hold hands with him and carry out a regime change,” Yoon said.

In response, Ahn refuted Yoon’s claim. “I told him we should hold a primary for a single candidate in the opposition bloc, but he did not answer for a week,” Ahn said. “Yesterday, I heard about the suggestion to talk about it. Later, campaign chief Lee went to talk about it.”

“Yoon’s side did not give opinion about Yoon’s position on the national primary,” Ahn said, explaining the reason for the notification of the breakdown.

Lee Kyu-tae called Yoon’s claim, “one-sided point of view,” and said, “There was a trust issue between the two sides. With today’s press conference, they made it sure they are forces who cannot be trusted and would do anything to avoid their responsibility.”

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