Lee Eonju Says, "Cho Kuk Should Mind His Own Party's Business... What Is So Urgent That He Pressures Us With a Deadline?"

Cho presses Democratic Party to state merger position by 13th
Lee Eonju: "Stirring up conflict in a ruling party already in turmoil"
"Merger was nothing more than Chung Cheongrae's personal opinion"

With Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, calling on the Democratic Party to clarify its official stance on a merger by the 13th, Democratic Party Supreme Council member Lee Eonju expressed displeasure, saying, "We will take care of our own party's affairs, so I hope you will pay attention to your own party's business."

Jung Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Lee Eonju, Supreme Council member, are talking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 4th. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

On the 8th, Lee posted on her social networking service (SNS), saying, "It seems that leader Cho has demanded that we clearly state our position on a merger by the 13th." She continued, "As for Democratic Party leader Chung Cheongrae's proposal for a merger, it was nothing more than the leader expressing his opinion in a personal capacity, at a time when the party's Supreme Council had not only never voted on it, but had never even discussed it once," adding, "In short, there has never been a valid merger proposal at the party level from the outset, and therefore there is no reason for us to state any position on a merger."

She went on, "Therefore, as things stand now, unless our Democratic Party newly makes a valid proposal for a merger, there is nothing special for the Innovation Party to say about a merger, nor any grounds to demand that we state a position." Addressing Cho, she said, "Over the merger issue, the ruling party is already mired in internal strife, yet you are stirring up further conflict by saying that 'if you do not officially state your position by the 13th, there will be no merger.' What is so urgent that you are pressuring our party by even setting a deadline?"

Lee said, "Just as the Innovation Party has its procedures, our party also has our own procedures. As you yourself have said, please show proper courtesy to a sister party," adding, "We will build Lee Jaemyung's Democratic Party, which supports the president's governance of state affairs and prepares for the future of the Republic of Korea." She continued, "A majority of the public, especially moderates, people in their 20s and 30s, and residents of Seoul, the greater metropolitan area, and the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam region, are negative about a merger between the two parties," and said, "I hope you will not ignore the facts and inflate the views of a particular minority."

Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, held a press conference at the National Assembly on the morning of the 8th and said, "Please decide the Democratic Party's official stance by the 13th, before the Lunar New Year holiday begins." Reporter Kim Hyunmin

Earlier that morning, Cho held a press conference at the National Assembly and said, "Please decide the Democratic Party's official position by the 13th, before the Lunar New Year holiday begins," adding, "If there is no official and public answer by then, we will regard it as meaning there will be no merger." He said, "Please make a clear choice: whether we will not merge and instead form an electoral alliance as separate parties, whether we will not even form an electoral alliance, or whether we will compete on values and visions within a single party," and added, "Please state your stance on the Cho Kuk Party's vision and values, including the doctrine of public concept of land ownership."

Lee and Cho had previously clashed over the merger issue. On the 1st, Lee argued, "As long as the Innovation Party does not abandon its policy of pursuing legislation on the public concept of land ownership, which carries potential unconstitutionality, discussions on a merger are impossible." In response, Cho countered, "In 1989, the Constitutional Court clearly ruled that the public concept of land ownership itself is constitutional, and our party is pursuing legislation on the public concept of land ownership that removes the unconstitutional elements identified by the Constitutional Court in 1989. It is unbelievable that a color-based ideological offensive over the public concept of land ownership is being waged not by the People Power Party but by the Democratic Party."

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party plans to swiftly finalize its stance on a merger after going through an internal process of collecting opinions. Chief spokesperson Park Suhyeon said at the National Assembly on the 8th, in response to a question about Cho's demand, "Leader Chung Cheongrae will gather opinions at the general meeting of lawmakers on the 10th and, reflecting party members' views, will announce the party's position on pursuing a merger as soon as possible after the meeting."