Only 2 out of 20 senior Democratic Party members supported the merger proposal during the closed-door meeting.
The majority of lawmakers expressed opposition or deemed the move premature.
Rep. Kim Young-bae went as far as demanding an apology from party leader Jeong Cheong-rae.
The Democratic Party held a private caucus on February 10 to discuss a possible merger with the Justice Innovation Party. However, only two lawmakers supported the merger before the upcoming local elections, while most speakers opposed the idea. Rep. Kim Young-bae directly called for an apology from leader Jeong Cheong-rae.
According to E Today’s comprehensive report on February 10, only Reps. Kim Young-jin and Park Ji-won voiced support for a pre-election merger during the meeting. The remaining lawmakers either opposed the idea or stated it was premature.
A second-term Democratic Party lawmaker noted, “There weren’t many outright opponents to the merger,” but added, “The consensus was that we should do it, just not now.” This suggests that concerns about timing and process dominated the discussion.
Chief Spokesperson Park Soo-hyun briefed reporters after the meeting, saying, “About 20 lawmakers spoke, acknowledging that while the merger proposal stemmed from a genuine desire to ensure successful governance through a landslide victory in local elections, the conflicts arising from the process have led to a shared understanding of the current situation.” He added, “While there’s general agreement on the need for integration, the prevailing opinion is that pursuing a merger under current circumstances, though justifiable, would be challenging.”
Park further stated, “It’s fair to say that almost no one explicitly opposed the merger,” and noted, “There was a general consensus on the need for unification.” He explained that only a couple of lawmakers advocated for a pre-election merger, while a few others expressed concerns about a post-election merger.
During the meeting, Rep. Kim Young-bae reportedly demanded an apology from leader Jeong, arguing that the decision to push for a merger without prior consultation warranted an apology to party members and lawmakers. Spokesperson Park confirmed this, stating, “One of the 20 speakers made that remark,” adding that while the leader had already apologized, there were calls for further apologies regarding statements made by some Supreme Council members in public press conferences that could have been addressed internally.
Opposition sentiments were also evident in a meeting of second-term lawmakers held prior to the main caucus. After this gathering, Rep. Kang Jun-hyeon told reporters, “The general sentiment was to immediately halt merger discussions and focus on national priorities,” adding that there was a strong push for a swift decision.
The Democratic Party plans to hold a closed Supreme Council meeting in the afternoon to reflect on the caucus results and reach a final decision on the merger issue. Spokesperson Park indicated, “Given that tomorrow’s scheduled Supreme Council meeting has been postponed, we can expect that the formal announcement to the public and party members will likely occur during tomorrow’s meeting.”
On January 22, leader Jeong Cheong-rae abruptly proposed a merger with the Justice Innovation Party, facing strong backlash from non-party members due to the lack of prior consultation. Tensions escalated on February 6 when a confidential document detailing the merger schedule and allocation of appointed Supreme Council members was leaked. Justice Innovation Party leader Cho Kuk has effectively set a deadline, requesting that the Democratic Party formalize its position by February 13.
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