Unification Initially Fails, Kim Mun-su Unable to Meet Lee Jun-seok "Efforts Continue Until Main Vote"

[Financial News] With the 21st presidential election early voting just around the corner, Kim Mun-su, the People's Power presidential candidate, visited the National Assembly Hall from the night of the 28th to meet Lee Jun-seok, the Reform New Party presidential candidate, but turned back without making contact.
Although it was an active move for unification, candidate Lee Jun-seok drew a line on unification by not even answering the phone calls from candidate Kim Mun-su, with whom he usually communicated, creating an atmosphere where unification before early voting is virtually impossible.
After finishing his campaign in the Yeongnam region and returning to Seoul, candidate Kim Mun-su met with reporters at the National Assembly Hall on the morning of the 29th and said, "If I had met candidate Lee Jun-seok, I would have tried to talk about doing well, but since I couldn't meet him, I'll try to make some efforts here first."
Regarding whether he will continue to attempt contact for unification, candidate Kim said, "Not only for early voting, but we must continue our efforts until the main vote," expressing his determination to achieve unification even if it is difficult before early voting.
Regarding communication with candidate Lee, candidate Kim said, "It was possible before, but today he doesn't answer at all," adding, "In the past, we communicated well whenever I called, even if it wasn't about this matter. Today, the phone doesn't connect."
After the People's Power primary, candidate Kim Mun-su, who went through a difficult unification process with former Prime Minister Han Deok-su, is trying to make an all-out effort for unification with candidate Lee Jun-seok, the biggest challenge in the presidential election, but candidate Lee Jun-seok is not giving up his stance on unification or his independent path.
In major polls, although candidate Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea consistently holds the lead, candidate Kim Mun-su demands concession from candidate Lee Jun-seok, pointing out that the gap with candidate Lee Jae-myung is smaller than with candidate Lee Jun-seok.
Instead, candidate Kim's side is requesting unification with candidate Lee Jun-seok with the stance of conceding everything except the 'presidential candidacy'.
However, candidate Lee Jun-seok's side does not trust candidate Kim Mun-su, considering the controversy over changing words during the unification process with former Prime Minister Han Deok-su and the strong remarks from candidate Kim's close associates.
Above all, after the TV debate, candidate Lee Jun-seok's approval rating gained momentum, entering double digits, and his presence became more distinct. In a one-on-one structure with candidate Lee Jae-myung, candidate Lee Jun-seok's side demands candidate Kim Mun-su's resignation, pointing out that he is not inferior in competitiveness compared to candidate Kim Mun-su.
On this day, Kim Cheol-geun, the general situation room chief of candidate Lee Jun-seok's side, pressured through SNS, saying, "Candidate Kim Mun-su's unification proposal is clearly false. The only way to stop candidate Lee Jae-myung and achieve victory in the presidential election is for candidate Kim Mun-su to immediately resign," adding, "And to set up candidate Lee Jun-seok as the unified candidate and face the challenge head-on. There is no time. The moment of delaying the decision only solidifies the advantageous structure for candidate Lee Jae-myung."


hjkim01@fnnews.com Hak-jae Kim, Reporter