Son Hak-kyu Blocks 'Honam 3-Party' Merger... Bareunmiraedang Faces Mass Resignation Movement

Son, Postpones Approval of Integrated Promotion Meeting Agreement Statement

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] The merger of the three parties?Bareunmiraedang, Alternative New Party, and Democratic Peace Party?has hit a snag. Bareunmiraedang leader Sohn Hak-kyu has withheld approval of the agreement from the three-party unification promotion meeting. Within Bareunmiraedang, this is being interpreted as Sohn's refusal to step down, with even the possibility of a 'mass defection' of lawmakers being mentioned. Lawmakers from each party plan to hold a joint caucus meeting on the afternoon of the 17th to form a joint negotiation group.

After the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly that day, Sohn told reporters, "Approval of the three-party agreement is a cautious matter, and we need to broadly gather opinions from the public and party members, so I have decided to withhold the review," adding, "For now, I will withhold it until the next Supreme Council meeting."

Sohn emphasized, "Regionalism for electoral convenience cannot be our choice. The founding of a Honam New Party can never be a new development. Our politics must not regress to old habits," and added, "When the centrist reform forces firmly uphold the third way and take the lead in political reform and generational change, we will be able to receive the people's choice in the general election."

On the 14th, the three-party unification promotion meeting reached a sudden agreement to merge the three parties on the 17th and name the new party the Democratic United Party. The three-party merger negotiations had faced difficulties due to Sohn's refusal to step down from his second-tier leadership position. Ultimately, Park Joo-sun, chairman of Bareunmiraedang's Grand Unification Reform Committee; Yoo Sung-yeop, chairman of the Alternative New Party's unification promotion committee; and Park Joo-hyun, special chairman of the Peace Party's unification promotion committee, reached a final agreement to set the term limit for the unified party leader until the 28th and to specify this in the party's bylaws. Sohn, however, expressed his refusal, saying, "How backward is our country's politics that the leader's resignation is written into the party bylaws?" and "It is lowering the dignity of politics ourselves."

Sohn expressed skepticism immediately after the announcement of the three-party agreement. Kim Jeong-hwa, spokesperson for Bareunmiraedang, told reporters after meeting with Sohn at the National Assembly that afternoon, "If the three parties merge first, the unified party will be limited to the Honam region, making it difficult for future generations to come," and added, "So it seems he has a skeptical view of the merger itself." When asked if he opposed the decision of the unification promotion meeting, Kim replied, "Not opposition, but a skeptical view," and said, "Sohn's view differs from that of Chairman Park Joo-sun."

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