Cho Kuk: "It Is an Illusion to Expect Landslide Victories in Future Local, General, and Presidential Elections"
Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, expressed strong concern over the hostile criticism from opponents of a merger following discussions on a merger with the Democratic Party of Korea. He pointed out, "It is a serious delusion to believe that, intoxicated by the current approval ratings of the president and the Democratic Party, we will win the upcoming local elections, general elections, and presidential election by a landslide."
On Feb. 7, through social media (SNS), Cho stated, "Since Representative Jung Cheongrae proposed the merger, the behavior of some extreme opponents of the merger, both inside and outside the Democratic Party (including political YouTubers), has been troubling."
Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, is delivering remarks at the 'Launch Ceremony and Forum of the New Land Public Concept Legislative Promotion Team' held at the National Assembly on Feb. 2, 2026. Photo by Kim Hyunmin
He said that "one can oppose or support the merger," and, rather than focusing on positions for or against the merger, he took issue with the hostile attitude of some Democratic Party supporters toward this matter. Cho criticized, "Some extreme opponents of the merger label supporters of the merger as 'enemies' and attack them as if they want to kill them," adding, "They attack not only Jung Cheongrae, but also Rhyu Si-min and Kim Eo-jun, who have expressed support for the merger." He continued, "Even though there was no secret deal before the merger proposal was made and no official negotiations have taken place since, they mock and slander the Cho Kuk Innovation Party and me, and spread false information," pointing out, "They have their own political objectives and financial interests."
Cho also recalled the presidential election situation at the time of the last presidential race and criticized the Democratic Party supporters' optimism about the local elections. He said, "There is a fact that many people are forgetting," and went on, "In the presidential election held immediately after the rebellion, the difference in vote share between Lee Jaemyung plus Kwon Youngguk and Kim Moonsu plus Lee Junsuk was a mere 0.91%." He continued, "In the cases of Seoul, Daejeon, South Chungcheong Province, and North Chungcheong Province, Lee Jaemyung's vote share was lower than the combined vote share of Kim Moonsu and Lee Junsuk." In fact, in that presidential election, President Lee was elected with 49.42%. Kim Moonsu, the People Power Party candidate, received 41.15%, Lee Junsuk, the Reform New Party candidate, received 8.34%, and Kwon Youngguk, the Democratic Labor Party candidate, received 0.98%. When the votes are tallied by dividing them into progressive and conservative camps, it shows that the distribution of votes was evenly balanced.
Cho urged, "Consider whether expelling factions with different opinions within the Democratic Party and trampling on the Cho Kuk Innovation Party will really help in the local elections, general elections, and presidential election," and added, "Even if opinions differ and even if we belong to different parties, we must not forget the greater cause of solidarity and unity."
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