Opposition candidates discuss a unified front in district race

Ki Dong-min, the main opposition candidate running for the parliamentary seat up for grabs in Seoul’s Dongjak B District in the July 30 by-elections, met with the Justice Party’s Roh Hoe-chan, who is also vying for the spot, yesterday to discuss a united front against the ruling party.

Ki, from the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD), and Roh spoke for an hour, though differences remained. Roh has generally come out ahead of Ki in opinion polls and has pushed for a reliance on polls in deciding on a unified opposition candidate. Ki said he would like to work toward a unified front with Roh, though he did not propose how.

The opposition candidates are set to make a final decision by this morning, as little progress was seen in meetings yesterday. “If candidate Ki does not agree to solidarity of the opposition parties, I will withdraw from candidacy,” Roh said on Tuesday.

The ruling Saenuri Party’s Na Kyung-won is also running for the Dongjak B constituency.