Will the Integration Party Join Talks... Hwang Kyo-ahn and Yoo Seung-min to Meet as Early as the 4th

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Lee Ji-eun and Kim Hye-min] As a unified new party gathering centrist conservatives is being promoted, a meeting between Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the Liberty Korea Party, and Yoo Seung-min, chairman of the Conservative Reconstruction Committee of the New Conservative Party, is expected to take place as early as the 4th. Attention is focused on whether the New Conservative Party will dramatically join the unification train, as former lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo, who was expected to join the unification, has taken an independent course.

On the 3rd, Chairman Yoo said in a back briefing immediately after the New Conservative Party leadership meeting held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building, "It has not yet been decided whether to meet with Leader Hwang," but added, "If we meet, I think it should be a private meeting." This came after political circles predicted that Chairman Yoo and Leader Hwang would hold a meeting between the 4th and 5th to negotiate the centrist conservative unification. Earlier, Chairman Yoo had also announced a meeting with Leader Hwang during his trip.

At this meeting, Chairman Yoo saw a high possibility that the decision on whether to participate in the Innovation and Integration Promotion Committee would be made. He explained, "There will be exchanges of dialogue between Leader Hwang and the two parties on the issues," adding, "If a conclusion is reached there, the issue of the Innovation and Integration Committee will naturally be decided. The dialogue is ongoing, but there are issues that take time." Regarding whether discussions about nomination rights and shares are taking place, he dismissed it as 'speculation' and emphasized, "We will discuss what kind of unification between the two parties, and whether unification is the path for the entire conservative camp to win."

This meeting draws attention to whether Chairman Yoo, who had shown a reserved attitude toward unification until now, will change his stance and actively participate in the unification ranks. He did not attend the Innovation and Integration Committee's public report meeting held on the 31st of last month, raising concerns that the unified new party might start half-heartedly. Even while promoting the unified new party, he consistently expressed a somewhat detached position by saying that election alliances are also possible.

If the negotiation fails and the New Conservative Party's joining is delayed, there is a high possibility that the overall schedule will be disrupted. With about two weeks left until the planned launch date, the Innovation and Integration Committee is currently engrossed in naming the unified new party. An official from the committee said, "We are currently conducting various behind-the-scenes discussions to name the unified new party," adding, "It could be decided as early as the beginning of next week."

However, there are several hurdles to overcome between the two leaders. For one, the New Conservative Party is preparing a separate nomination system from the Liberty Korea Party and is proceeding with the nomination process, raising the possibility of differing opinions over the leadership of nominations during unification discussions. In particular, the New Conservative Party has shown a stance considering both unification and independent general elections by appointing separate nomination committee chairs for constituency and proportional representation candidates. While the Liberty Korea Party is working under the principle of cutting off one-third of constituency lawmakers, in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk (TK) region, where more than 50% turnover is expected, opposition voices to unification may grow depending on the nomination results.

Regarding the issue of alliance with far-right forces such as the Our Republican Party, Leader Hwang still considers them as unification partners. On the other hand, Chairman Yoo has clearly stated, "If the Our Republican Party participates, we will not unify," showing a significant difference in opinion. The Our Republican Party also refers to the New Conservative Party side as 'traitors' and does not want unification.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.