[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] The Democratic Party of Korea and New Wave have decided to hold a merger agreement signing ceremony on the 7th. With the merger declaration by the two parties on this day, a fierce intra-party primary battle over the Gyeonggi Province governor position in the June 1 local elections is expected to intensify.
On the 6th, Cho Oh-seop, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, announced that this decision was made during a closed emergency committee meeting held that morning.
During a recess of the emergency committee meeting, Cho met with reporters and said, "The merger issue with New Wave will be addressed with a signing ceremony for the merger agreement at 10 a.m. on the 7th," adding, "Please check the details on site tomorrow."
The two parties have been negotiating the merger through a working-level task force.
Kim Dong-yeon, leader of New Wave, officially confirmed the merger with the Democratic Party on May 30 by stating, "We accept the Democratic Party's merger proposal."
Once the merger is completed, Kim will participate in the Democratic Party primary for the Gyeonggi Province governor candidacy in the June local elections.
Currently, besides Kim, Democratic Party members Ahn Min-seok, Cho Jung-sik, and former Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young have declared their candidacies. However, since the advantages and disadvantages among candidates vary depending on how the primary rules are applied, conflicts over the primary method are anticipated.
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