Lee rules out merger with PPP candidate

Seoul

Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate from South Korea’s minor conservative New Reform Party (NRP), has firmly ruled out merging his campaign with the People Power Party (PPP)’s candidate, Kim Moon-soo. He made the announcement on Thursday, just days before the June 3 presidential election.

Many in the PPP hoped the two conservative candidates would unite to challenge Democratic Party (DP) front runner Lee Jae-myung. However, Lee Jun-seok stated clearly, “I will run in this presidential race to the end under the name of Lee Jun-seok and the New Reform Party. We will achieve victory.”

A recent National Barometer Survey showed DP’s Lee leading with 46% support, Kim at 32%, and Lee Jun-seok at 10%. This is Lee Jun-seok’s first time reaching double digits in the polls.

Lee said he would not be swayed by outside pressure, stating his party had a clear vision for the future of South Korea. Election officials will print ballots on Sunday, and the final chance for candidates to officially merge campaigns is by Wednesday, though both names would still appear on the ballot.

Kim Moon-soo has asked Lee Jun-seok to merge, but Lee, once a PPP leader himself, dismissed the suggestion. He said questions about a merger are “meaningless.”

Meanwhile, DP’s Lee Jae-myung visited Jeju Island and promised to remove the statute of limitations on crimes committed by the state, aiming to win more public support.

With the election approaching, the conservative vote remains split.