At a press conference in Seoul, Lee said he decided to join hands with Kim to prevent Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), from being elected, describing it as a "monster dictatorship."
Lee, who was once a presidential contender from the DP in the previous election but defected amid internal strife to form the splinter New Future Democratic Party early last year, then added that he will work with Kim to form a joint government and pursue constitutional reform.
"We agreed to work together to form a joint government and revise the Constitution to implement reforms," Lee told reporters.
With Kim still trailing Lee in most polls, the surprise agreement could sway some swing voters or undecided voters ahead of the June 3 snap election, now less than a week away.
But it remains to be seen whether their last-minute move will help the PPP candidate win over voters and narrow the gap with frontrunner Lee, as the former prime minister has been losing ground even in his stronghold in Jeolla provinces.
Meanwhile, next week's election comes after the Constitutional Court of Korea's ruling early last month to impeach disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched martial law debacle late last year.
reporter
Im Yoon-seo
lyseo0330@ajupress.com
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