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Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), speaks during an emergency committee meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul on May 8. / Source: Yonhap News

Kwon Young-se, interim leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), declared on May 8 that the party would push ahead with a unity process, urging PPP presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo to finalize a single candidacy with independent contender Han Duck-soo within two days.

“We must achieve unification within two days and create a dramatic turnaround,” Kwon said during an emergency committee meeting at the National Assembly, reiterating that the party would proceed as planned.

His remarks came hours after Kim held a press conference near Yeouido’s Daehwa Building at 8:50 a.m., denouncing the party’s push for forced unification. “From this moment, stop the attempt to oust me, a legitimate presidential candidate, under the pretense of unification. This forced unity is nothing short of replacing the nominee and could lead to legal disputes,” Kim said, adding he would not participate in any party-hosted debates.

Kwon responded that the party had already proposed a TV debate and a two-way poll to the candidates and would proceed with the poll even if the debate falls through. “I will take full responsibility for this decision,” he said.

“I will bear any criticism or consequence if it means we can stop Lee Jae-myung’s dictatorship,” he continued. “Time is running out—we must reach unification by May 10 at the latest.”

He also cited an internal poll showing that 82.8% of party members support unification. “It’s not just the party members—this is the demand of the people and the spirit of the times,” Kwon stressed.

“From today, the party-led unification process begins,” he said. “Even if it means stepping over me, the two candidates must come together to win this election.”

Referring to Kim’s earlier question about who brought Han into the race, Kwon remarked, “I believe it was Kim himself.” He added, “The PPP and its predecessor parties have suffered from poor decisions by presidential candidates. We must learn from that.”

Floor leader Kwon Seong-dong also delivered sharp criticism toward Kim. “It’s truly disappointing,” he said. “Kim held a press conference just to cling to his candidacy, ignoring the will of our party members. I began to doubt whether he is really the democrat and senior statesman we believed him to be.”

“Unification is the solemn command of both our members and the people,” he said. “Rejecting that command simply because one was nominated is unacceptable.”

He rebuffed Kim’s claim that Han was “dragged into the race” by the leadership: “It was the party members and the public. If Kim’s support had overwhelmingly exceeded Han’s, would Han have even entered the race?”

Kwon concluded with a personal appeal: “Kim was once a courageous man who defended this country’s freedom with passion. Is it wrong to ask him to honor his promises? I urge him to draw upon the dedication and reason he showed in his youth, and answer the party’s call for unity.”