Merger talks with Rebuilding Korea Party seen as unlikely before party convention

Kim Hyeon-jeong, floor spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Korea. [Yonhap]
Kim Hyeon-jeong, floor spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Korea. [Yonhap]

Kim Hyeon-jeong, floor spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Korea, said Friday that real estate may have been a key factor in the party's loss in the Seoul mayoral election, pointing to heavy defeats in the three Gangnam districts. "We lost by tens of thousands of votes in areas like the three Gangnam districts," she said. "It seems those are voters who are particularly sensitive to real estate issues, and the government and ruling party appear to need an alternative."

Speaking on KBS Radio's "Jeongyeok Sisa" that morning, Kim said the party won among women in their 20s but lost by a wide margin among women in their 30s. "We need to examine what that means," she said.

She suggested that women in their 30s may represent a demographic especially sensitive to real estate issues, and added that Democratic candidate Jeong Won-o had relatively low name recognition. "We also need to look at whether his campaign pledges were properly communicated and whether there were any problems with the election strategy," she said.

On calls by former party leader Song Yeong-gil for the leadership to take responsibility for the loss, Kim said the matter should be resolved through proper procedures. "If people start speaking as individuals, it will inevitably turn into a debate and a political fight," she said. She added that a comprehensive assessment of the election results would be made at the party convention, centered on party members.

On merger talks with the Rebuilding Korea Party, Kim said it would realistically be difficult to hold such discussions before the upcoming party convention. She also suggested that former Rebuilding Korea Party leader Cho Kuk's repeated pledges to lead a merger if elected could work against the effort. "I wonder if that might end up being an obstacle to merger talks rather than a help," she said.


sunpine@heraldcorp.com