Jung Chung-rae rebuts Kim Min-seok's criticism of his 'January merger' proposal, saying 'My intent must not be distorted'
Jung Chung-rae, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who proposed setting next January as the deadline for a merger with the Reform Party of Korea, has pushed back against leader Kim Min-seok's criticism that his remarks amounted to 'an in-party political tool.' On Facebook on the 3rd, the former leader said, "It is regrettable that my remarks are being distorted as if I disregarded member sovereignty," adding, "I hope no one will nitpick or deliberately take my words out of context." He posted the full text of his remarks from the YouTube show 'Park Si-young TV' to ensure his meaning would not be distorted.
The dispute began with his comments on a merger timeline. Appearing on the YouTube channel 'Park Si-young TV' on the 31st of last month, the former leader said regarding a merger with the Reform Party, "It should be done by January of next year." In response, leader Kim criticized him that morning on the party's YouTube channel 'Democratic Party TV,' saying, "Rather than a good-faith integration or a serious process of discussion and effort, it has been raised as a kind of tool for in-party political battles."
The former leader clarified that his aim was merely to open discussions on a merger, explaining that since the party had failed to do so before the June 3 local elections, it should now restart the discussion. He asked in reply, "At the time, I proposed the merger, but there were actually people who strongly opposed it, so didn't we put off discussion and pursuit of a merger until after the local elections?"
He also reiterated his emphasis on member sovereignty. "All of this is a decision for the party members, who are the owners of the party. I am a one-person-one-vote believer in member sovereignty," he said, adding, "The merger process must necessarily include a step of asking members for their views." He went on, "What I said last weekend was premised on the members' approval — my point was that a merger is only possible if the members support it."
