The Revolutionary Unification Committee Holds Its First Meeting Today... New Conservative Party Calls It an 'Advisory Body' vs. Chairman Park Says 'It Has No Meaning' (Summary)

Park Hyung-jun, Chairman of the Innovation Integration Promotion Committee, is attending the first meeting of the Innovation Integration Promotion Committee held at the National Assembly on the 14th, delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The Innovation Integration Promotion Committee (IIPC), which is leading the integration discussions between centrists and conservatives, held its first meeting on the 14th. Although the meeting originally scheduled for the 13th was postponed by a day due to the absence of the New Conservative Party, the New Conservative Party announced its intention to participate on this day, accelerating the integration discussions. However, the New Conservative Party, which is conducting party-to-party integration talks with the Liberty Korea Party, is showing signs of limiting the IIPC's status to an 'advisory body,' and discord arose within the conservative camp as some warned against a return to the 'Old Saenuri Party.'

On the 14th, the IIPC held its first meeting at the National Assembly Members' Office Building to discuss the committee's role and the direction of integration. The IIPC is a conservative integration discussion body formed through a joint meeting of party and civil society organization representatives led by the National Integration Solidarity. Attendees included Kim Sang-hoon and Lee Yang-su from the Liberty Korea Party, Jeong Un-cheon and Ji Sang-wook from the New Conservative Party, Song Geun-jon, Chair of the Integration Promotion Committee of the Forward for the Future Party, Jeong Kyung-mo, Vice Chair of the People's Voice Party Preparation Committee, Professor Kim Geun-sik of Gyeongnam National University affiliated with the Ahn Cheol-soo faction, Ahn Hyeong-hwan, Secretary General of the National Integration Solidarity, Lee Gap-san, Standing Representative of the Pan-Civil Society Coalition, Park In-hwan, Representative of the Right Citizens' Society Coalition, and Park Sang-deok, Representative of the Nuclear Power National Solidarity.

The meeting originally scheduled for the 13th was postponed by a day due to the New Conservative Party's absence. The New Conservative Party, which began party-to-party integration talks with the Liberty Korea Party, continued discussions until an hour before the meeting and finally announced that Representatives Jeong and Ji would attend. Ha Tae-kyung, co-representative of the New Conservative Party, held a press conference at 9:15 a.m. at the National Assembly Press Center and said, "All matters should be resolved based on the three principles for conservative reconstruction proposed by the New Conservative Party and the six principles of the IIPC, which include those three principles," adding, "We will not agree to anything that deviates from this."

However, discord arose as Ha made remarks that seemed to still not recognize the IIPC as the sole integration channel. Earlier that morning, Cho Kyung-tae, a Supreme Council member of the Liberty Korea Party, appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and said the IIPC would be the single channel, but Ha co-representative responded, "As far as I know, the Liberty Korea Party has never said that," effectively expressing opposition.

At the meeting, the New Conservative Party again emphasized that the IIPC's status should be limited to an advisory body. Representative Ji said, "I know many lawmakers have worked hard for integration, but from our standpoint, it is right to start from a blank slate now, and it would be better to discuss the official name, role, function, and content of this meeting," adding, "If the previous nature was a joint meeting of civic groups, now it is an advisory body aiming to enter the political world, but what is decided here must be ratified by the parties, so it cannot be decided solely here."

Regarding this, Park Hyung-joon, Chair of the IIPC, told reporters after the meeting, "The IIPC is not a body with legal enforcement power but a political facilitation body," and dismissed the idea that it is an advisory body as "not a valid debate." He said, "If it were an advisory body, there should be a subject to advise, but since it is an ad hoc organization formed jointly by civic groups, it is not necessary to place much importance on whether it is an advisory or consensus body," adding, "The committee members also agreed on this."