Two opposition candidates clashed Friday over the responsibility for the suspended talks for single candidacy, casting a cloud over their proposed alliance for the Dec. 19 presidential election.

Independent presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo put on hold the negotiations with Democratic United Party nominee Moon Jae-in on Wednesday, alleging mudslinging, intimidation and breach of rules of negotiation by DUP officials.

In a news conference Friday, Ahn demanded that Moon first display his determination to reform the party and address the issues he raised before resuming negotiations.

Moon initially welcomed his offer but later reacted angrily, suggesting that Ahn’s side may be exaggerating the problems and intentionally delaying the talks.

“If serious problems indeed took place, the side should have raised due objections while continuing talks,” Moon said in an interview with an Internet-based broadcaster in the afternoon.

“But there were no incidents which could justify the suspension of the talks,” he said.

He also noted that the two sides are running out of time before the candidate registration period slated for Nov. 25-26, by which they had agreed to merge their campaigns.

Moon appears to be losing patience as Ahn did not show any signs of reconciliation even after Moon apologized three times.

Moon also expressed regret about Ahn backpedaling on their joint political reform statement, which was one of Ahn’s key preconditions for their alliance.

“I have given my final consent to the final draft of the joint declaration on political reform but Ahn’s camp is holding its confirmation.”

If the negotiations are delayed further, the two sides will have to opt for a selection through opinion polls, favored by Ahn who currently garners higher approval ratings than Moon.

Moon’s camp spokesperson Rep. Jin Sung-joon added that it is one of the standard activities of a political party to encourage its members to support its candidate in the race between them.

Ahn earlier accused the DUP of spreading false rumors, manipulating public polls and mobilizing its affiliated organizations to win an upper hand in the candidacy merger race.

Earlier in the day, Ahn said he is willing to meet Moon if he takes concrete measures to show his will to reform the party without specifying what he demands.

“I hope to meet with candidate Moon to discuss political reform and candidacy unification, as soon as he demonstrates his will to renew the party,” Ahn told reporters.

Moon immediately welcomed Ahn’s suggestion, boosting anticipation that the proposed merger may soon move forward.

“We believe that the candidates may solve the problems by holding an open-minded conversation,” said Moon’s communications chief Woo Sang-ho, shortly after Ahn’s conference.

“Moon is firm in his determination for political reform and he is ready to continue his efforts.”

The camp, however, remained vague about how its candidate would display “his will” for reform.

Ahn, a political rookie whose popularity is largely attributed to voters’ disillusionment with established politics, has been pressuring the Moon camp to lead reforms within the DUP.

In Friday’s press conference, the candidate upped pressure on the DUP, demanding that Moon review the unification talk process and take necessary measures to prevent further conflicts in the future.

Ahn also referred to “measures which have been demanded by the people and raised from within the party,” which some political observers interpreted as a hint at an overall reshuffle of the DUP’s leadership and election committee.

“The DUP has so far come up with its renewal plans, and we are asking that these should be implemented voluntarily,” said Park Sun-sook, co-head of Ahn’s election campaign headquarters.

She nevertheless dodged the reporters’ questions about whether the “plans” indicated the resignation of the leadership or of the negotiating team.

The political reform panel of Moon’s camp suggested late last month that the leadership, represented by party chairman Rep. Lee Hae-chan and floor leader Rep. Park Jie-won, should step down.

Moon similarly said last week that the party may have to make “painful sacrifices” in order to achieve political renewal.

The option seemed to fade when the two candidates struck the dramatic merger deal earlier this month, but was recently reignited amid the growing tension.

In an aim to break the deadlock, the co-heads of Moon’s election committee offered to resign en masse on Friday. Moon turned down their resignations, according to the camp’s public relations chief Woo.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)