The People Power Party is facing internal conflict over the question of whether its presidential candidate, Kim Moon-soo, should join forces with independent candidate Han Duck-soo to unite the conservative bloc under the party ticket.

On Tuesday Kim issued a statement criticizing the party leadership for effectively not recognizing him as the official presidential candidate, even though he won the primary.

Kim also raised concerns about the timing of the upcoming party convention May 10 and 11, suggesting it might be an attempt to undermine his candidacy.

Meanwhile, the party is holding a meeting of its lawmakers for the second day on the campaign unification issue, with plans to discuss timelines and election strategies before the candidate registration deadline on May 11.

At Monday’s meeting, most lawmakers urged Kim to promptly begin talks with Han toward unifying their campaigns.