Rebuilding Korea Party Leader: Merger Talks with Democratic Party Premature

Kim Jun-hyung, the newly appointed floor leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, has stated that discussions about a potential merger with the larger Democratic Party are not appropriate at this time.

Meeting with Democratic Party floor leader Han Byung-do, Kim conveyed his stance, emphasizing that while he is open to cooperation and integration for the success of the reformist bloc and the 'Lee Jae-myung government,' he draws a line against merger talks being used for political maneuvering or internal power struggles within the Democratic Party.

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I believe it is not the time to discuss merging the Democratic Party and the Rebuilding Korea Party. Nothing has been decided either way.

Kim expressed a sense of unfairness, noting that the Rebuilding Korea Party has often been subjected to public debate and internal opposition regarding merger proposals without formal discussions. He acknowledged that both parties suffered setbacks in the recent local elections, but believes that focusing on the success of the progressive movement can help heal these wounds.

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We have suffered greatly due to the merger discussions, which were often fueled by media reports and internal debates within the Democratic Party without any formal discussion from our side.

He also requested consideration for his party as a non-standing caucus in the upcoming National Assembly organization. Addressing criticism over the parties' split candidacy in the Pyeongtaek B by-election, which led to a loss for the progressive bloc, Kim argued that his party had cooperated significantly, even foregoing presidential candidates, and suggested the Democratic Party should have been the one to concede.

Meanwhile, Cho Kuk, the former leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, also defended their actions in the Pyeongtaek B election, refuting claims that he should have stepped aside. He highlighted that his party had supported Democratic Party candidates in 12 constituencies during the local elections and questioned the fairness of the Democratic Party fielding a candidate in Pyeongtaek B while expecting other parties to yield.

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I cannot agree with the assessment that Cho Kuk should have yielded in Pyeongtaek.