YOON & AHN'S STANCE ON CANDIDATE MERGER

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Eyes have been on whether a single opposition candidate would come out for the presidential race. The People Power Party's Yoon Suk-yeol announced the details of his negotiations with the People's Party's Ahn Cheol-soo, saying that Ahn ultimately rejected the deal. Yoon's move has become a turning point in the election scene. Ahn responded by saying that he had dropped his offer for a merger because what Yoon's camp was offering was not worth considering.

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Yoon Suk-yeol told reporters that he was notified of the final breakdown of the merger talks by Ahn's election camp on Sunday. Yoon added he didn’t understand why Ahn had made the decision. He said their representatives already reached a tentative agreement and the only remaining step was a one-on-one meeting between the two candidates.

[Soundbite] Yoon Suk-yeol(PPP Pres. Candidate) : "When we asked about the reason, even the People’s Party officials could not provide clear explanations, saying it seemed there were no obvious reasons."

Yoon’s camp disclosed the details of the negotiations with Ahn. When Ahn said he needed a reason to justify his decision to drop out of the presidential race, Yoon proposed to visit his house. But Ahn left for Mokpo on Saturady night. Ahn demanded Yoon hold a press conference to publicly ask him for a meeting and Yoon responded positively. But it was of no use. Yoon says he will not give up hope. Following the press conference, Yoon campaigned in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. There he criticized the Democratic Party’s political reform proposal and pledged to achieve a change of government.

[Soundbite] Yoon Suk-yeol(PPP Pres. Candidate) : "The DP is attempting to water down the public’s call for a change of power by promoting political reform. They are now talking about holding a general meeting of its lawmakers to toss around the issue."

On Monday, Yoon is touring around Gangwon-do Province starting with Donghae. Ahn’s camp condemned Yoon for being insincere and revealing the negotiation process that he wanted to be kept confidential. Ahn said the PPP had made an empty proposal and ignored his suggestion to select a unified candidate through a survey.

[Soundbite] Ahn Cheol-soo(People’s Party Pres. Candidate) : "There were no changes in the PPP’s proposal. So I concluded that there were no more reasons for me to consider it. That’s all."

Ahn repeatedly vowed to finish the race on his own.

[Soundbite] Ahn Cheol-soo(People’s Party Pres. Candidate) : "I can see some 1,200 people gathering here. For me, it is like the last 12 naval vessels Admiral Yi Sun-shin commanded in the battle against Japanese invaders."

Ahn, meanwhile, plans to campaign in Jeollabuk-do Province for the second straight day to win over local voters.