Presidential candidates seek to form coalitions in dead heat race

An employee of a district office at the National Election Commission checks ballots for the March 9 presidential election in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

By Kang Seung-woo

With less than a week left before the March 9 presidential election, leading presidential candidates are seeking to form a coalition with minor candidates and encourage more of their supporters to go to the polls in a bid to tip the balance in their favor.

Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) hailed former Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon's decision to endorse him as Korea's next president after exiting the presidential race.

"I am taking Kim's decision seriously and will mix my pledges with his will to provide plentiful and meaningful policies," Lee wrote on his Facebook account.

"We will make the utmost efforts to form a coalition government so as to fulfill the public's desire for political reform," he added.

Kim, President Moon Jae-in's first finance minister who had been running for president on the ticket of the minor New Wave Party, announced his withdrawal earlier in the day. Kim and Lee reached an agreement to pursue various political reform measures together, including a revision of the constitution and electoral system, Tuesday.

"It was not an easy decision for me," Kim said during a press conference in Seoul. "Please understand this was a difficult decision aimed at realizing the philosophy and values that we are looking to pursue."

Kim's withdrawal came as Lee and his rival Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) were in a tight race, with each enjoying around a 40 percent support rate in opinion polls. Recent surveys have shown that Kim has less than 1 percent support.

"We are once again promising to create politics of unity and waiting for replies from other opposition candidates," said Rep. Kang Hoon-sik, the chief of Lee's strategic planning committee.

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Late last month, the ruling party announced its plan to pursue political reform to shift the single five-year presidential term to a renewable four-year term in a bid to forge a coalition with minor opposition presidential candidates ahead of the election.

Lee later held a virtual meeting with Ukrainian Ambassador-designate to Seoul Dmytro Ponomarenko and discussed the crisis in Ukraine, according to the DPK.

Lee Jae-myung, left, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party Korea, and Kim Dong-yeon, the presidential nominee of the New Wave Party, hold hands following their meeting at a cafe in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

Meanwhile, prosecutor-turned-presidential candidate Yoon encouraged his supporters to turn out on Election Day and added that those who cannot make it should cast their ballots in early voting, scheduled to start Friday for two days across the nation. Overseas voting was also held from Feb. 23 to 28.

"I will cast my ballot through early voting. Amid concerns that the COVID-19 pandemic could interfere with the people's right to vote on Election Day, I am asking you to aggressively participate in early voting," Yoon wrote on Facebook.

"The nation's daily coronavirus cases have topped 200,000 and at this rate, those who are infected with the virus or are quarantined may not vote, which could affect the result of the election," he added.

Taking issue with the short period of early voting, Yoon urged the government to come up with additional measures to guarantee that as many people as possible participate in the voting.

Yoon also met with Ponomarenko in an abruptly arranged meeting ahead of the debate.

The meeting took place as Yoon took heavy flak for posting a photo of an angry face drawn on a tangerine along with a message supporting Ukraine. It was posted on Yoon's Twitter account, Tuesday, but deleted three hours later following criticism that it appears to make fun of the Ukraine crisis.

Meanwhile, public polls released Wednesday showed Yoon maintaining a slight lead over Lee.

In a Realmeter survey of 1,007 adults Monday and Tuesday for Newsis, Yoon earned 46.3 percent support against Lee's 43.1 percent. The 3.2 percentage point gap was in line with the margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

Another poll by Ace Research and Consulting Group on Sunday and Monday for the Local Korea Press Association found that Yoon led Lee 44.6 percent to 43.7 percent. It interviewed 1,004 people and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

By law, polls conducted within six days of the election cannot be published until after voting closes.

Further details of the polls are available on the websites of the survey agencies or of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.