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🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

Kim Min-seok Promises Faster Alliance Talks, but Innovation Party Says Trust Comes First

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok said he would accelerate discussions on electoral, party and political-system cooperation with progressive parties.
  • The Cho Kuk Innovation Party welcomed the possibility of a new cooperation model but said substantive trust-building measures must come first.
  • The parties remain divided over issues including political reform and possible alliance or merger arrangements.

Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok wants to speed up cooperation with progressive parties, but the Cho Kuk Innovation Party is not ready to move at the same pace. His call came one day after President Lee Jae-myung appointed lawmakers from the Basic Income Party and the Innovation Party to government and presidential office positions.

Speaking at a Democratic Party supreme council meeting, Kim said the reshuffle should accelerate discussions with progressive reform parties on elections, political parties and the wider political system. He said a broad alliance was already unavoidable in principle, while acknowledging that its final form, including a possible merger, remained uncertain. He also asked the Innovation Party to designate an official channel for contact with the integration initiative he launched.

I will move much faster on discussions involving alliances among progressive reform parties.

— Kim Min-seokHe spoke at a Democratic Party supreme council meeting after the presidential appointments.

Innovation Party leader Shin Jang-sik described the appointment of Lee Hae-min as “a new model of cooperation and alliance,” but said that position did not settle the party’s broader relationship with the Democrats. Party spokesman Park Byeong-eon urged Kim to adopt political reform proposals, including easing the requirements for parliamentary negotiation groups and introducing a runoff voting system.

A new model of cooperation and alliance.

— Shin Jang-sikHe described the appointment of Innovation Party lawmaker Lee Hae-min.

The gap in tone was clear. A senior Innovation Party figure said, “One swallow does not make a spring,” arguing that trust must be restored before any meaningful alliance or integration. The figure also objected to Kim’s discussion of resolving dual party memberships, which was viewed within the Innovation Party as an attempt to screen its members.

A Democratic Party official said the Innovation Party currently favored strengthening itself independently and predicted that an alliance or merger would be difficult to establish immediately. The official said a clearer decision might come only as the next general election approaches.

One swallow does not make a spring.

— Unnamed senior Innovation Party figureThe figure said the appointment alone did not demonstrate restored trust with the Democratic Party.
About this summary

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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