Jeong Cheongrae Proposes Merger with Innovation Party "Prepared to Apologize... Will Stop If Party-Wide Vote Fails"

Jeong Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, commented on the proposal for a merger with the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, stating, "I made the proposal myself, prepared to apologize, because I thought that unless the party leader initiated it, it might be impossible to proceed before the local elections due to time constraints." He also indicated that he would follow internal party discussions regarding the merger going forward.

At the Supreme Council meeting held on January 23 at the Champion House of the Jincheon National Training Center in North Chungcheong Province, Jeong said, "I apologize for not being able to share this sufficiently in advance due to various unavoidable circumstances and physical limitations," expressing his regret.

Regarding the future of the merger, he stated, "If it is approved in a vote by all party members, we will proceed; if it is rejected, we will stop." He added, "I hope that, through sufficient debate, party members will use their collective intelligence to determine what is the best path for victory in the local elections and for the success of the Lee Jaemyung administration."

Yonhap News Agency

On the necessity of the merger, he said, "I thought that the path to victory is to win without fighting, to avoid unnecessary battles, and to join forces rather than fight among ourselves. This should not serve the interests of any individual, but rather the interests of the entire party and its members." With this, he refuted arguments within the party that the merger proposal was made for the sake of extending his own term.

He also expressed his intention to guarantee internal debate procedures. Referring to the remarks of Supreme Council member Park Jiweon, who called for the guarantee of open debate, Jeong said, "Of course, we will open a forum for discussion that is candid, unreserved, comprehensive, public, and transparent, so I ask party members to freely express their opinions." He reiterated, "We will open a forum for discussion that is candid, unreserved, comprehensive, public, and transparent."