Reform Party candidate Lee Jun-seok said on the 14th that the People Power Party is "a party being held by former President Yoon Suk-yeol by the neck."
People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo expressed his intention not to expel former President Yoon, while reports suggested that Yoon might voluntarily resign as early as the same day.
During a visit to the Busan Yulim Hall that morning, the candidate mentioned to reporters his resignation from the position of the People Power Party chair due to allegations of sexual favors. He added, "The party quickly pushed me out regarding unfounded allegations that were ultimately proven innocent, but is offering every kindness to party member Yoon Suk-yeol, who incited a martial law seen by the entire nation and put citizens in danger." He then questioned, "What kind of double standards and directives is the People Power Party's ethics committee operating under?"
Meanwhile, according to a survey conducted by Korea Gallup at the request of News1 from the 12th to the 13th (using mobile phone interviews), 43% opposed the unification between candidates Kim and Lee, higher than the 38% who supported it. Additionally, 48% believed that if a unification were to happen, it should be with candidate Kim, surpassing the 36% that suggested candidate Lee should be the one unifying.
Candidate Lee responded to the survey results by saying, "I believe the higher opposition to unification reflects the citizens' discomfort with such political maneuvering," and added, "Even if we unify, if the bigger party tries to suppress the smaller one forcibly, it won't resonate with the citizens at all."
He stated, "If there is any hope of moving the citizens through the unification of these factions, it requires a significant entity to recognize their past mistakes and limitations and step back to create a meaningful arrangement," adding, "The movement of the larger entity overpowering the smaller one is precisely the type of suppression that young generations detest."
Lee also commented on the Democratic Party of Korea's attempts to push for a special prosecution law regarding Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, stating, "Even if there are some grievances towards the judiciary, the moment you try to suppress them through legislative or executive powers, that constitutes a violation of the separation of powers." He further noted, "While the Democratic Party appears strong, they should have been very cautious; this party has made it a routine to abuse their authority whenever they have it."
He added, "Currently, it's the chief justices and justices, but in the future, this will manifest as oppression against ordinary individuals and weaker groups, and by then, the situation will have degenerated into a collapse of democracy."
Lee also referred to Democratic Party member Kim Moon-soo's remarks the day before about "basing women's childbirth advantages" that were later cancelled and apologized for, stating it was "a policy reflecting a misunderstanding of women's rights," and that it offered a cold division between women who have given birth and those who have not or cannot.
He remarked, "Those who tend to speak about women often show a lack of interest in women's rights and reveal very crude perceptions," and added, "There have been cases where individuals who championed feminism in the Democratic Party have had to resign from leadership positions or have encountered unfortunate events due to their involvement in sexual scandals."