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South Korea's Ruling Party Puts Merger Talks on Hold Until After Elections

The leader of South Korea's ruling Democratic Party has announced that discussions for a merger with the minor Rebuilding Korea Party will be paused until after the June local elections. Party chairman Jung Chung-rae apologized for the internal confusion and worry caused by his initial merger proposal. While lawmakers agreed on the need for unity to secure an election victory, they differed on the timing and method of the merger. The decision follows backlash within the party and an earlier ultimatum from the minor party's leader to decide by Friday.

Key Points: S. Korea's Democratic Party Halts Merger Talks Before Local Elections

  • Merger talks suspended until June elections
  • Proposal caused internal party friction
  • Aim was to secure landslide victory
  • Different views on timing and method
2 min read

South Korea: Democratic Party puts merger talks with minor party on hold

South Korea's ruling Democratic Party suspends merger discussions with the minor Rebuilding Korea Party until after the June local elections.

"Unity is more urgent than merger discussions. - Jung Chung-rae"

Seoul, Feb 10

The leader of South Korea's ruling Democratic Party said Tuesday that discussions on a possible merger with the minor liberal Rebuilding Korea Party will be put on hold until after the June local elections, apologising to party members for internal friction caused by the proposal.

"We decided to end discussions on the merger ahead of the local elections," DP chairman Jung Chung-rae said in a briefing after a supreme council meeting. "It is true that my proposal caused concerns and worries both within and outside the party, and we were unable to generate the synergy the merger was expected to create."

He apologised for causing confusion among party members, saying, "Unity is more urgent than merger discussions," Yonhap News Agency reported.

Jung floated the idea last month that the ruling party would merge with the Rebuilding Korea Party before the local elections.

However, the proposal triggered strong backlash within the party over both the timing and scope of the merger.

During a general meeting earlier in the day, DP lawmakers agreed on the need to merge with the minor party to better help secure a landslide victory in the June 3 elections, but there were different views on how and when the two political parties would merge, according to DP spokesperson Park Soo-hyun

"While the lawmakers generally shared the view that unity is necessary, there was a consensus that pushing for the merger, even if it had rationale, was difficult under the current circumstances," the spokesperson said after the meeting.

The lawmakers also agreed that the proposal intensified tensions within the ruling party although it came out of a "genuine intention to secure the party's landslide victory in the local elections and the success of the administration," according to Park.

Many lawmakers suggested continuing the discussions after the elections, he added.

Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, who leads the Rebuilding Korea Party, earlier urged the DP to make its final decision by Friday.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
"Unity is more urgent than merger discussions" – that's a powerful statement. It's a lesson for all democracies. Parties should strengthen their own base first instead of rushing into alliances just for electoral math. Seems like a sensible pause.
P
Priyanka N
The minor party leader giving a Friday deadline sounds so dramatic! 😅 This feels very familiar. In Indian politics, smaller parties often try to pressure the bigger ones. The DP is right to wait until after the elections. Merger should be about ideology, not just convenience.
A
Aman W
As an observer, I have to respectfully criticize the DP chairman. Floating such a major idea and then backtracking causes unnecessary confusion and weakens the party's image. Leaders should do proper homework and consensus-building within the party before making public proposals. It shows a lack of strategic foresight.
K
Karthik V
Good move. Forced mergers never work in the long run. They agreed on the 'why' but not the 'how' and 'when'. This is a classic case of putting the cart before the horse. Focus on the local elections now, sort out the alliance later. All the best to them! 👍

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