Democratic Party’s Alliance Talks with Justice Party: Why Are They Pausing Until After Local Elections?

The Democratic Party of Korea reached a consensus during a party meeting to suspend merger discussions with the Justice and Innovation Party until after the local elections. Members also voiced the need for apologies from party leader Jeong Cheong-rae and some Supreme Council members regarding the conflict surrounding the proposed merger.

Park Soo-hyun, the Democratic Party’s chief spokesperson, briefed reporters immediately after the party meeting on February 10. He stated, “While members generally agree on the need for integration, they believe pursuing a merger at this time is ‘justifiable but impractical.’ They’ve requested that the Supreme Council swiftly conclude based on today’s meeting results.”

Park elaborated that the members acknowledged the merger proposal with the Innovation Party was rooted in a sincere desire to bolster the Lee Jae-myung administration’s success through a decisive victory in local elections. However, they recognized that the process has been marred by ongoing conflicts.

He added that Jeong Cheong-rae indicated he would consult with the Supreme Council to reach a decision based on the meeting’s outcome. The Democratic Party plans to hold a closed Supreme Council meeting that evening to address the issue.

Given that the prevailing opinion among lawmakers, from first-termers to second-termers, favors pausing the merger, discussions are likely to be postponed until after the June local elections. Park noted various suggestions, including delaying merger talks until post-elections and exploring alternatives like “electoral alliances” or “coalitions.”

Park mentioned that while almost no lawmakers explicitly opposed the merger, a few expressed reservations about merging after the elections. Overall, most comments were supportive of the merger itself.

The consensus among lawmakers seems to focus on the leadership’s failure to manage the process effectively, rather than outright opposition to the merger. This has led to calls for suspending or delaying discussions. Representative Jeong Il-young, speaking to reporters as he left the meeting, said, “There isn’t much opposition to the merger itself,” but added, “The handling of the process over the past three weeks since the representative brought it up has been deeply flawed. It doesn’t make sense to proceed now; we should put it on hold, and quickly – today if possible. Many share this view.”

Representative Park Ji-won, who had initially supported the merger following Jeong’s proposal, told reporters, “I’m pro-integration, but it would be better to do it after the local elections.” He added, “To complicate matters further, the issue of recommending a special prosecutor has emerged. We should take a step back and reconsider the timing.”

Before the main meeting, Jeong also held discussions with second-term lawmakers, where opinions leaned towards pausing the merger talks.

Representative Kang Jun-hyun, leader of the second-term lawmakers, informed reporters after their meeting, “The lawmakers believe we should immediately halt merger discussions and focus on national agenda items.” He added, “While various methods for resolution were suggested, such as party member votes, the general consensus is that we should resolve this internally.”

Kang conveyed the meeting’s atmosphere, saying, “The prevailing opinion is that a merger is ultimately the right move. However, there were concerns about the justification and timing under the current circumstances.”

During the meeting, some voices called for apologies from both Jeong and Supreme Council members regarding the merger conflict. Park stated, “There were comments that the representative should apologize for the manner in which the merger proposal was presented, and that apologies are also needed from those who discussed internal matters at external press conferences.”

Speaking with reporters outside the meeting, Kang expressed, “I believe apologies are necessary,” noting, “A few mentioned this need, and to swiftly resolve the conflict, issuing apologies would be beneficial. Given how much this situation has escalated, it’s crucial.”

In a subsequent briefing after the second-term lawmakers’ meeting, Kang remarked, “The current state of the Supreme Council is less than ideal,” adding, “The statements from Supreme Council members have contributed to escalating the conflict.” He emphasized, “If there’s cause for apology, they should do so. The general sentiment is that both the party leader and Supreme Council members should avoid causing confusion among party members and the public.”