Who Does Time Favor... The Opposition's Integration Takes a Step Forward for Now

People vs People
Full-Scale Launch of Internal Opinion Gathering Process

Joo Ho-young, Acting Leader of the People Power Party, is attending the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 15th and delivering an opening remark. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Hyunju Lee and Juni Park] The People Power Party and the People’s Party have officially begun internal opinion-gathering procedures for party-to-party integration.

The People Power Party, having settled on holding a party convention after the merger, seems to have calmed the internal atmosphere that was heading toward 'self-inflicted strife.' Joo Ho-young, acting party leader of the People Power Party, appeared on the radio on the 15th and said, "Tomorrow (the 16th), we will hold a parliamentary meeting to organize opinions on the merger, and on Monday (the 19th), we plan to hold a meeting of the heads of city and provincial party committees nationwide to finalize it," adding, "I think a conclusion will be reached next week and there will be good results."

Acting leader Joo viewed holding a party convention after the merger as desirable. He said, "If we hold a party convention and then merge, we will have to discuss the leadership structure after the merger again," adding, "If the merger seems delayed, we should independently hold a party convention to form the leadership, but if it does not take a long time, it is better to form a unified leadership after the merger." Acting leader Joo believes that once internal opinions within the People Power Party are gathered, procedures for the merger such as share negotiations and employment succession will not take long.

The People’s Party is also undergoing opinion-gathering procedures. Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, told reporters after the Supreme Council meeting that "Tomorrow, I will go to Daegu to listen to various opinions through a meeting with party members, and next week, several other regions including Gwangju are scheduled," adding, "By the latter half or the end of next week, we should be able to complete these processes."

However, within the People Power Party, there are still opinions that a party convention should be held before integration discussions. Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party, wrote on his Facebook on the same day, "Tasks such as integration with the People’s Party and expanding the party’s base are directly related to our party’s presidential election strategy," and pointed out, "This is the job of the new leadership, not the outgoing floor leader."

Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 15th and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Meanwhile, both parties are on high alert regarding the formation of a 'third zone' by former lawmaker Geum Tae-seop. If a new party is founded and former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl joins, the political influence could be significant. Former lawmaker Geum and former People Power Party emergency committee chairman Kim Jong-in are scheduled to meet on the 16th to discuss this.

Acting leader Joo mentioned Yoon and the third zone on the radio that day, saying, "Experts’ opinions are that the third zone has never succeeded in a presidential election phase and the possibility of success in the future is quite low." He also strongly criticized that if the third zone forms a party, it would cause division in the opposition. Leader Ahn also refrained from commenting when asked about the third zone’s political realignment, saying, "I don’t know anything." From Ahn’s perspective, broad opposition unity is important, but if former chairman Kim is involved, participation in the third zone would inevitably be awkward. Ahn maintains the position that only the merger between the People Power Party and the People’s Party can be the solution.

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