Jeong Cheongrae: "I Will Listen Through Debates With Lawmakers"
Park Suhyeon: "Integration Talks Should Be Concluded By The End Of March"
The proposed amendment to the party constitution to introduce a 'one person, one vote system' pushed by Jeong Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, has been finally approved, drawing attention to whether this will accelerate the push for a merger with the Cho Kuk Innovation Party.
At the Supreme Council meeting on Feb. 4, 2026, regarding the merger, Jeong said, "As the lawmakers have suggested, we will set a schedule (for debates, roundtable discussions, etc.) and proceed. I will take time to listen through debates with members of the National Assembly."
Jung Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at a Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on Feb. 4, 2026. Photo by Kim Hyunmin
With the one person, one vote system, which had been seen as a test of his leadership, passing the previous day and allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief, Jeong is expected to lead the subsequent discussions on the merger as a follow-up task. A key question is whether Jeong, who has faced strong criticism such as accusations of "the presidential ambitions of second- and third-tier figures" from Supreme Council member Lee Eonju after the merger proposal, will be able to maintain his grip on the party.
However, some point out that the merger push cannot simply gain momentum, given that the one person, one vote vote barely passed and that the approval rate fell by about 14 percentage points compared with the previous failed vote. In this regard, Supreme Council member Lee, referring to the low approval rate, pointedly remarked, "The leadership needs to reflect deeply on its meaning with a humble attitude."
Lawmakers are collecting opinions on the merger by group. The freshman lawmakers' group "The Mincho," which has stated that more than half of its members oppose the merger, is expected to convey in its meeting with Jeong on Feb. 5, 2026, the view that a task force within the party should be created on the issue, but that discussions on the merger should continue only after the local elections.
The second-term lawmakers' group "The Minjae," which held a roundtable that day, took a relatively cautious stance. They said they had formed a consensus that the phase of conflict should not continue or escalate. One second-term lawmaker who attended the meeting said in a phone call, "Many second-term lawmakers hold party positions, so they are more cautious than freshman lawmakers."
Jeong's camp plans to complete the merger by the end of March 2026 at the latest. Park Suhyeon, the party's chief spokesperson, said on SBS Radio that day, "By the end of March at the latest, in-party debates and decisions (regarding the merger), as well as integration talks between the two parties, should be (concluded)."
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