PPP's Kim stresses ROK-U.S. alliance after labeling DP rival Lee as 'pro-China' during debate

And the People Power Party's Kim Moon-soo also continues to expand his campaign here in the capital.

He started off the week by stressing his vision for the ROK-U.S. alliance while insinuating a possible merger with Reform Party candidate Lee Jun-seok.

Our Kim Do-yeon reports.

On the campaign trail on Monday, People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo emphasized the ROK-U.S. alliance saying that he will meet U.S. President Donald Trump as soon as he's elected amid the ongoing tariff negotiations.

"If I’m elected president, I will visit the United States as early as June to hold a prompt summit with President Trump and swiftly resolve issues that are hindering economic cooperation between our two countries."

The comments came during a luncheon with the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea.

He added he’ll promote Korea-U.S. business cooperation in advanced technology and culture, not just security.

Kim also pledged to remove unnecessary regulations to attract more foreign investment.

This comes after Kim claimed his DP rival Lee Jae-myung is too pro-China, during the first televised debate the night before.

"In other campaign activities and rallies around Seoul, he also gave pledges to the younger generations, on Coming of Age Day, vowing to create jobs, expand opportunities, and ease financial burdens related to marriage and housing."

Meanwhile, much attention was given to his gesture toward the Reform Party’s Lee Jun-seok with an idea of a conservative and anti-Lee Jae-myung alliance looming over the election scene.

The two met at a Seoul City event, where Kim apologized for the PPP’s past treatment of Lee when he was party chair—and praised his debate performance from the night before.

During the AMCHAM talk, Kim also hinted that a merger may be possible.

"Things are gradually improving. If you watched the debate yesterday, you would’ve seen Reform Party candidate Lee Jun-seok—he used to be our party leader, and now he’s out there representing a certain segment. If I can bring together people like him and unify our efforts, I believe we can bring about significant change."

Lee Jun-seok has so far rejected the idea of a merger—and the current polls show that even combined, their ratings trail DP’s Lee Jae-myung.

But with the election now just two weeks away a last-minute conservative alliance could still shift the race.

Kim Do-yeon, Arirang News.