Kim Moon-soo, the presidential nominee of the conservative People Power Party, on Thursday urged the party leadership to stop pressuring him to unify his candidacy with Han Duck-soo, who resigned as prime minister and acting president last week to launch his own presidential bid.
In a press conference held Thursday morning in Yeouido, Seoul, Kim said he would not participate in a televised debate scheduled for later that afternoon, calling it "a debate unilaterally arranged by the party."
He accused the party leadership of forming an election preparation committee for an independent candidate — Han — who had not even registered for the party’s primary.
“I would like to ask candidate Han: were you aware of these efforts by the party when you chose not to join the primary?” Kim said.
He warned that the ongoing push for candidacy unification amounts to a forced replacement of the nominee and an attempt to oust him.
“This forced unification could lead to legal disputes,” he said.
Instead, Kim proposed holding a televised debate next Wednesday, followed by public opinion polls on Thursday and Friday to decide on a unified candidate.
“I, Kim Moon-soo, am a legitimate presidential candidate. I am a candidate who knows how to fight — and I will win,” he said.
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