Will Ahn Cheol-soo join conservative main opposition party?

Leader of the People's Party, Ahn Cheol-soo, speaks during a policy conference co-organized by the party and the Korea Medical Association, held at the KMA headquarters in Seoul's Yongsan District, July 26. Joint Press Corps

By Jung Da-min

The race for the next presidential election is heating up, after former prosecutor general Yoon Seok-youl, a leading presidential hopeful, joined the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP), Friday. Eyes are now on whether the leader of the conservative minor opposition People's Party, Ahn Cheol-soo, also a potential presidential contender from the conservative bloc, will join the PPP.

Ahn, who ran in the 2017 election, has yet to announce his presidential bid, but is widely expected to join the race soon, either as a candidate of his own party, or a with the conservative main opposition party, if the PPP and the People's Party successfully conclude negotiations to merge.

Talks between them were boosted after the PPP's landslide victory in the April by-elections for mayors of the country's two main cities, Seoul and Busan, with the two agreeing on the need to merge the parties to form a conservative “big tent” to counter the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).

But the negotiations broke down late last month, with the parties at odds over several issues, including whether to change the name of the PPP after the merger, how to establish a platform to select a single candidate from the conservative bloc, and whether to set up a committee to deal with a bill to ban all kinds of discrimination.

The People's Party requested a change in the name of the party, an increase in the ratio of the public vote when selecting a presidential candidate, and the setting up of a committee to deal with the anti-discrimination law. These requests were turned down by the PPP.

Ahn has yet to issue a statement about the matter after the breakdown of negotiations, but PPP Chairman Lee Jun-seok said Saturday the PPP will set a deadline for the merger this week.

“We have been negotiating with the People's Party for a long time and there is no reason to prolong it,” Lee said on Facebook. “I am going on vacation after next week. Even if I meet Ahn after my vacation, there won't be enough time to discuss a proper merging of the parties.”

People's Party spokesperson An Hye-jin criticized Lee's comments, saying he was not showing respect or sincerity in discussing the merger. “Members and supporters of the People's Party see Lee's attitude as 'gapjil,' an arrogant and authoritarian type of behavior,” An said.

People's Party leader Ahn has been receiving support of around 5 percent in polls on potential presidential candidates. Although this is not very high, the PPP wants to bring Ahn in as a presidential contender who can extend its support base to include centrist voters, since he has been claiming to stand for centrist politics, according to political watchers.