One day ahead of South Korea’s presidential election, Rep. Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate of the minor New Reform Party, made clear Monday that he would not join forces with the ruling People Power Party’s Kim Moon-soo.
Despite weeks of speculation and mounting calls for conservative unification, Lee declared that no merger would take place, and that he would stay in the race through the end.
“Based on detailed polling and data analysis, Kim Moon-soo has already clearly lost,” Lee wrote on Facebook. “Regardless of consolidation, there’s no scenario in which he can win.”
His post effectively closed the door on last-minute talks of a single conservative candidate. Final polls released last Tuesday — the cutoff date for preelection surveys — showed Democratic Party of Korea candidate Lee Jae-myung leading the race, often polling near or above 50 percent. Even in three-way simulations, the combined support for Kim and Lee Jun-seok was roughly on par with, or slightly below, the Democratic Party candidate's numbers, indicating his dominant position.
Lee also sharply criticized the coalition forming around Kim Moon-soo, pointing to two conservative candidates who recently dropped out to endorse Kim: Koo Joo-wha of the Liberty Unification Party, who opposed the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, and Hwang Kyo-ahn, an independent who has continued to promote claims of election fraud. Koo and Hwang withdrew on May 19 and Sunday, respectively.
“A vote for this awkward alliance is a wasted vote — one that kills democracy twice,” Lee said. “It’s not a vote for reforming the conservative bloc, but one that shields the tainted leadership's own interests.”
Urging voters to back his campaign instead, Lee added, “A vote for Lee Jun-seok is seed money — an investment in a new beginning built on youth and future leadership.”
flylikekite@heraldcorp.com
