Lee Jun-seok rejects PPP's push for merger in press conference

Reform Party candidate Lee Jun-seok has firmly rejected a merger with the main conservative party candidate, saying it will be his own name and party on the voting ballots.

On Thursday, Lee held an emergency press conference with regard to the People Power Party's so-called "love calls" to the young candidate, urging him to join hands with Kim Moon-soo, to form a stronger conservative ticket.

Lee said that his support in national polls hit 10 percent for the first time, and dismissed the idea of a merger as "meaningless."

He'd announced earlier in the day that he had blocked incoming phone calls for the time being.

On his campaign trail, Lee continued to target young voters and centrists in the greater Seoul area.

He held a discussion with Choi Won-il, former captain of the Cheonan warship, which was torpedoed by North Korea in 2010.

He also continued his campus cafeteria outreach, meeting with students at Inha University.