Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is running as an independent candidate in the presidential election, says a decision should be made by Sunday on whether to unify his candidacy with that of People Power Party nominee Kim Moon-soo to satisfy the expectations of the public and party members.

Lee Jung-hyun, Han’s campaign spokesperson, put forth the Sunday deadline at a press briefing Tuesday, although it is still possible to unify the two campaigns after that time.

Sunday is the National Election Commission’s deadline for candidate registration, and joining forces before then would allow the chosen candidate to register as the "Number Two" candidate as the nominee of the party with the second-largest number of parliamentary seats and be eligible for financial support from the PPP. 

The spokesperson said the process could involve a debate and a public poll, a poll without a debate, or one candidate stepping down in support of the other, adding that Han’s camp is open to suggestions from the party.
 
When asked about Kim’s willingness to join forces with Han, the spokesperson said Kim’s actions appear inconsistent with the “big tent” strategy he has advocated to unify conservative and moderate forces within the party.