Yoon says Ahn rejected opposition merger deal

Home > National >

Published: 27 Feb. 2022, 18:57

Yoon says Ahn rejected opposition merger deal

Yoon Suk-yeol, presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), speaks at a press conference on the outcome of merger talks with the People’s Party at the PPP headquarters in western Seoul on Sunday. [NEWS1]

Yoon Suk-yeol, presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), announced Sunday that merger talks with Ahn Cheol-soo of the People's Party fell through at the last moment.

Yoon in a press conference at the PPP's headquarters in Yeouido, western Seoul, said that representatives of the two parties had been close to reaching a merger agreement but that Ahn ultimately rejected a deal earlier that morning.

However, Yoon continued to leave open the possibility of a unified opposition candidate, saying he will continue to wait for Ahn's response to hold in-person talks.

"Until this very hour, I have done my utmost with a sincere heart for a merger with candidate Ahn," said Yoon, as he detailed for the first time in public his views on a unified candidacy and the behind-the-scenes negotiation process.

Representatives of the two campaigns held two-hour merger talks Saturday afternoon, reaching a tentative agreement, said Yoon, which was reported back to both candidates.

However, Yoon said that Ahn expressed his intention to compete in the presidential election, calling for "more justification to withdraw from the race."

In turn, Yoon conveyed he could visit Ahn's residence in person to "demonstrate my respectful stance."

However, Yoon told reporters he hadn't receive a response from Ahn on the offer to visit his home and was later informed that the People's Party candidate had departed for campaign activities in Mokpo, South Jeolla.

Discussions between the two campaigns' representatives continued Sunday morning.

Yoon, however, said he received the notification of a breakdown of merger talks at 9 a.m. that morning. He said that Ahn's side didn't offer any further explanation on the reason for the rejection.

On Feb. 13, Ahn proposed a public survey to field a unified opposition presidential candidate. One week later, Ahn withdrew his merger proposal, blaming a lack of response from Yoon, and declared his intention to stay in the race.

Yoon's press conference comes one day before the official printing of ballot papers for the March 9 presidential election, seen as a deadline of sorts for a merger deal.

Nonetheless, Yoon said Sunday he will continue efforts toward a unified opposition candidacy, leaving open the possibility of an eleventh-hour merger deal with Ahn.

"Even now, if candidate Ahn decides on a time and place, I'll turn around my vehicle even if I am heading out of the city to meet him in person and have a candid conversation," said Yoon. "I will not give up hope on creating a unified opposition for a change in administration."

When asked if the merger deal agreed on by the campaign representatives addressed the public opinion poll method proposed by Ahn, Yoon told reporters, "There has been no discussion of opinion polls during the negotiation process."

Yoon described the negotiations as being between the two parties' "plenipotentiary representatives," meaning they had authorization to make decisions.

The PPP candidate was initially set to hold campaign rallies in Daegu and North Gyeongsang, referred to as the TK region and traditionally a conservative stronghold, but canceled his schedule to hold the press conference at 1 p.m. Yoon said he will resume his campaign activities later on in the day.

In response to Yoon's remarks, Ahn told reporters on the campaign trail in Yeosu, South Jeolla, "I have already declared clearly that the deadline for such negotiations has passed," referring to his Feb. 20 press conference.

Despite such a decision, Ahn's campaign chief decided to accept an offer for talks with Yoon's side Saturday to hear what they were bringing to the table, he said.

"After listening to the content conveyed this morning, I concluded that there was no difference and that it was not worth considering," said Ahn.

He noted that Yoon's side didn't provide any response to his call for a public survey to pick a single candidate during the negotiations.

Ahn said earlier Sunday, "Continuing with just lip service goes against principles."

When asked if he had been contacted by Yoon, Ahn said he had been bombarded with some 20,000 text messages from the PPP and Yoon's supporters since Thursday, expressing his discomfort that his mobile phone has been rendered useless.

Lee Tae-kyu, Ahn's campaign chief, said in a statement on Yoon's press conference, "The meeting yesterday was to confirm candidate Yoon's sincerity and the direction and plan for unification."

He added that the meeting was between campaign chiefs, rather than between "plenipotentiary representatives" as claimed by Yoon.

Lee said that the two sides failed to reach a final agreeement because the proposal by Yoon's side "was insufficient to guarantee mutual trust."

Yoon and Lee Jae-myung, presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party, have been neck and neck in recent opinion polls, with Ahn trailing, receiving around 10 percent support or slightly below.

Ahn Cheol-soo, presidential candidate of the People's Party, speaks to reporters on the collapse of a merger deal with Yoon Suk-yeol, presidential candidate of the People Power Party in Yeosu, South Jeolla, Sunday afternoon. [NEWS1]

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]