Jung Cheongrae Moves to Persuade First-Term Lawmakers Opposing Merger... "Only a Tiny Minority in Favor"

Proposed out of a desperate sense of urgency for victory in the local elections and the success of the Lee Jaemyung administration
The Mincho: "Many are worried about properly supporting the Lee Jaemyung administration and choosing the right course before the local elections"

On the 5th, Democratic Party of Korea leader Jung Cheongrae met with first-term lawmakers in the party to explain the need for a merger with the Cho Kuk Innovation Party and to persuade them, but it has been confirmed that among the first-term lawmakers, opposition voices arguing that "the merger should be halted for now" are predominant.

Jeong Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at a policy meeting held at the National Assembly on Feb. 5, 2026. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

That day at the National Assembly, Representative Jung held a meeting with The Mincho, a gathering of first-term lawmakers, and focused on easing internal backlash that had erupted during the process of proposing the merger. In his opening remarks, he apologized, saying, "Because the merger was proposed in the form of an emergency proposal, I have heard many people say they feel perplexed and concerned," and added, "I feel deeply sorry about that point."

Representative Jung, however, explained the purpose of the merger proposal by saying, "It was proposed after much agonizing, with a desperate sense of urgency, to secure victory in the local elections and ensure the success of the Lee Jaemyung administration." He stressed, "Elections can be decided by a single vote," and added, "We have been defeated when divided, and have won when we united as one."

However, the response from the first-term lawmakers was cold. Lee Jaegang, a lawmaker who serves as the representative of The Mincho, met with reporters after the meeting and said, "The number of lawmakers in favor of the merger is an overwhelmingly tiny minority," and added, "The majority believe that discussions on the merger should be suspended before the local elections and resumed after the elections." It is reported that some first-term lawmakers also expressed views such as, "The merger could actually exacerbate internal divisions," and "Providing policy support for the Lee Jaemyung administration should come first."

Representative Jung again emphasized that party members hold the final decision-making authority on the merger issue. He said, "This is now a party in which the party members are the owners," and added, "We must go through democratic procedures such as a party-wide vote or a party convention, and I will go if the party members tell me to go, and I will stop if they tell me to stop."

First-term Democratic Party lawmakers number 68 out of a total of 162 lawmakers in the party, making them the largest group within the party. Since immediately after Representative Jung’s merger proposal, they have been putting on the brakes by issuing public statements opposing it. In response, Representative Jung plans to begin with the meeting with first-term lawmakers and then sequentially gather opinions by meeting with senior lawmakers on the 6th and second-term lawmakers on the 10th.