The Pyeongtaek B constituency by-election for the National Assembly, being held concurrently with the June 3rd local elections, is being shaken by controversy over conservative candidate unification just before early voting.

Yu Eui-dong, the People Power Party candidate, is publicly sending a message to the effect of "there is no reason why we cannot unify with Hwang Kyo-an, the Liberty and Innovation Party candidate," but Hwang's camp is strongly protesting, claiming they received answers indicating reluctance to unify during actual contact.

A key official from Hwang's camp stated to Hankook Ilbo on the 28th, "There was a meeting for unification today, but we were told by the People Power Party that 'the central party's stance is that the candidate cannot step down, and it is difficult to agree to unification because Hwang is claiming election fraud.'"

The official criticized, "Nevertheless, Yu's side is sending messages to the press saying 'conservative candidate unification is still open' ahead of early voting. While showing an attitude that makes it difficult to agree to unification in actual negotiations, publicly sending unification messages to prevent the defection of conservative votes can cause confusion for voters."

The core of this controversy lies in the gap between public messages and the actual negotiation climate, rather than the issue of unification itself.

Early in the election, Yu showed a negative attitude towards the possibility of unification with Hwang. Later, as early voting approached, he changed his statements to "raising the level of consideration" and "there is no reason why we cannot unify."

From the perspective of conservative voters, this can be interpreted as the possibility of unification remaining alive.

However, according to Hwang's camp, the situation was different in actual contact.

The People Power Party's central party stance, Hwang's raising of the issue of election fraud, and the policy of not allowing candidate withdrawal were presented as reasons for reluctance to unify.

Hwang's camp views this as, "Isn't Yu's side, while publicly stating that they are open to unification, actually sending messages that presuppose Hwang's concession or withdrawal?"

The Pyeongtaek B by-election is a multi-candidate race with candidates including Kim Yong-nam of the Democratic Party, Yu Eui-dong of the People Power Party, Cho Kuk of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, Kim Jae-yeon of the Progressive Party, and Hwang Kyo-an of the Liberty and Innovation Party.

In such a situation, the dispersion of conservative votes can have a significant impact on the outcome. This is why discussions for conservative candidate unification have resurfaced just before early voting.

However, unification cannot be achieved by mere rhetoric.

It requires a combination of which candidate is more competitive, how the voters' will will be confirmed, and trust between the candidates.

In particular, if the method effectively presupposes the withdrawal of one candidate, it can be perceived not as a 'unification negotiation' but as a 'unilateral demand for concession.'

Hwang's camp also takes issue with Yu's political history.

Yu participated in the formation of the Bareun Party during the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye and later returned to the People Power Party during the conservative integration process.

Hwang's camp argues, "This is why Pyeongtaek's conservative voters do not trust Yu," pointing to Yu's continued adherence to his existing stance on the impeachment of former President Park.

The constituency issue is also a cornerstone of Hwang's camp's criticism.

Given that Yu's political base was the former Pyeongtaek Byeong constituency, Hwang's camp views Yu's candidacy in Pyeongtaek B as "a choice that does not align with the sentiments of local conservative voters."

Hwang's camp also claims that Yu's candidacy after receiving the People Power Party nomination without separate coordination is contrary to political ethics.

Yu's public statement to the effect of "there is no reason why we cannot unify" can be seen as a remark made in consideration of conservative voters' demands for unification.

However, Hwang's camp counters, "It is misleading for voters to say publicly that unification is possible while stating in actual negotiations that it is difficult to agree to unification."

Ultimately, the Pyeongtaek B conservative unification controversy boils down to two questions.

One is whether Yu's side genuinely intended to pursue unification on equal terms with Hwang.

The other is whether the public mention of unification possibility was a genuine negotiation signal for conservative victory, or a message intended to prevent the defection of conservative votes ahead of early voting.

This controversy, which has emerged just before early voting, is highly likely to become a last-minute variable in the Pyeongtaek B by-election.

Conservative voters will now judge not only the rationale for candidate unification, but also who actually prevented unification and who used unification as a political message.

The final choice of Pyeongtaek B conservative voters is expected to be decided by the voters' answers to these questions.