The Approaching Conservative Unification... Approval Granted and Party Name & Color Decided

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Lee Ji-eun and Kim Hye-min] On the 13th, the Liberty Korea Party will approve the merger with the New Conservative Party and the Forward to the Future 4.0 Party. The Preparatory Committee for the Unified Party (Tongjunwi) has also completed discussions on the party name, party color, and the party's purpose and platform policies, leaving only the final decisions. However, disagreements still persist over the nomination management committee and leadership structure, suggesting last-minute difficulties ahead.

On the 13th, the Korea Party will hold a national committee meeting to approve the merger with the New Conservative Party and the Forward Party. At this national committee meeting, the authority for the merger was delegated to the Supreme Council, and a joint meeting of the entrusted organizations will be held later to give final approval for the merger. If this process proceeds smoothly, the Tongjunwi plans to hold the launch ceremony for the unified party as early as the 16th.

On the morning of the 13th, the Tongjunwi finalized the party’s purpose and platform policies through consultation. The party’s purpose was set to respect the constitutional spirit that has led the historical achievements of the Republic of Korea and to realize and expand the values of freedom, democracy, republic, and fairness. Instead of the initially discussed party name 'Great Unified Party,' the name 'Future (Korea) Unified Party' is being strongly considered. The party color is expected to be decided as millennial pink, symbolizing unity, combined with the existing Korea Party’s symbolic red color.

However, disagreements remain over the unified party’s nomination management committee and leadership structure, making it uncertain whether decisions will be reached at the meeting on the 13th. Regarding the nomination management committee, the New Conservative Party acknowledges and accepts the neutrality of Kim Hyung-oh, the Korea Party’s nomination committee chairman, but some civil society organizations participating in the Tongjunwi argue that additional nomination committee members representing the Tongjunwi should be added. In response, Jisang-wook, co-representative of the New Conservative Party, warned, “We must put down all vested interests and demonstrate reformist values through the unification,” and Yoo Ui-dong, the New Conservative Party’s responsible representative, also expressed opposition to expanding the nomination committee.

Voices also differ regarding the leadership structure. While opinions are converging toward forming a new leadership centered on the Korea Party’s leadership structure, disagreements remain over the ratio of the Korea Party leadership to others, with proposals ranging from a 1:1 ratio to adding one or two Tongjunwi members to the Korea Party leadership. Park Hyung-joon, co-chairman of the Tongjunwi, said, “There were various discussions, including opinions to preserve the meaning of unification and to show a new image,” adding, “After coordination, this will be discussed at the Tongjunwi meeting on the 13th.”

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