Dispute over Lee Jae Myung conviction remarks deepens rift between two opposition parties as merger talks stall before they begin

Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok (right) and Rebuilding Korea Party leader Shin Jang-sik wait for a commemorative photo session marking the opening of the second-half regular session of the 22nd National Assembly in front of the main Assembly building on Thursday. [Yonhap]
Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok (right) and Rebuilding Korea Party leader Shin Jang-sik wait for a commemorative photo session marking the opening of the second-half regular session of the 22nd National Assembly in front of the main Assembly building on Thursday. [Yonhap]

The Democratic Party of Korea has moved to pursue merger and alliance talks with the Rebuilding Korea Party ahead of the next general election, but the effort has run into friction from the start. Though both parties formed new leaderships last month — under Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok and Rebuilding Korea Party leader Shin Jang-sik — what should be a honeymoon period has been marked more by sharp exchanges than by dialogue.

Both leaderships have signaled a willingness to talk, but formal discussions have yet to get off the ground, according to political sources Friday. Lee Hae-sik, a Democratic Party lawmaker who chairs the Rebuilding Korea Party alliance subcommittee within the party's grand unification task force, said in a phone interview that the two sides "now need to sit down and talk." Rebuilding Korea Party Secretary General Jung Chun-saeng also said the party "is willing to engage in dialogue with the Democratic Party."

Despite those stated intentions, friction has flared repeatedly. On Wednesday, Park Bum-gye, the head of the Democratic Party's grand unification task force, said he had heard that Lee and Jung "were talking at a working level." Jung immediately rebuffed the claim, saying he had "never had any conversation with Rep. Lee regarding unification." Park later apologized, acknowledging he had "gotten the facts wrong," and the dispute was put to rest for the time being.

Tensions escalated further after remarks by Cho Kuk, director of the Rebuilding Korea Party's policy research institute. When Cho publicly raised the possibility that President Lee Jae Myung could be found guilty in the retrial of his Public Official Election Act case, the Democratic Party pushed back sharply. Kim said Thursday that "remarks that undermine solidarity should be made with caution" — a comment widely interpreted as a direct rebuke of Cho.

The Rebuilding Korea Party drew a line, saying Cho's remarks were not intended to argue for the president's guilt or to oppose dropping the charges. A party official said Cho was "explaining the current legal framework, given that the Supreme Court remanded the case with a finding of guilt," adding that the remarks meant "a substantive basis must be secured — showing the indictment was fabricated — before the charges can be dropped with justification." The party said it shares the goal of dropping the charges but believes the process must follow proper procedures, backed by evidence gathered through audits or investigations.

Doubts about the viability of the Democratic Party-led merger push are also surfacing within and around both parties. One political insider said there are those who view the current effort as little different from when former Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae pursued a merger — drawing criticism at the time for moving abruptly without internal party deliberation. "Some are even whispering that the Democratic Party may be trying to build a narrative — that they attempted unification and alliance, but it fell apart because of the other side," the insider said.


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