People Party Completes 'Merger' Opinion Gathering... "Will Reach a Good Conclusion"

Joo Ho-young, Acting Leader of the People Power Party (left), and Ahn Cheol-soo, Leader of the People Party, are attending the 73rd Regular General Assembly of the Korean Medical Association held at The-K Hotel in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 25th, engaging in conversation. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Boryeong] The People’s Party concluded its internal opinion-gathering process regarding opposition party unification on the 25th. The next steps will be discussed at the Supreme Council meeting scheduled for the 26th.

On the 25th, after a meeting with party members in the Seoul area, Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, told reporters, “I heard sincere opinions from the party members,” adding, “We will discuss the summarized contents together at the Supreme Council to reach a good conclusion.”

Ahn explained, “There were those in favor and those opposed, and among those in favor, many expressed conditional support. I organized these opinions by directly inputting them into my computer.”

According to the People’s Party’s party constitution, a merger must be decided either by a vote of all party members or by a resolution at the party convention. When asked if there were plans to decide on the merger without a vote of all members, Ahn replied, “I need to review the party constitution and regulations again, but if possible, we want to decide in a way that reflects the will of the party members.” Regarding the deadline for the decision, he added, “We will discuss and finalize the direction at tomorrow’s (26th) Supreme Council meeting.”

Even if the merger is decided through a vote of all party members, considering the content, procedures, and format, it is analyzed that it will be difficult to accelerate the merger process. The schedule of the counterpart party, the People Power Party, supports this analysis. The People Power Party plans to elect a new floor leader on the 30th and then hold a party convention.

Joo Ho-young, acting leader and floor leader of the People Power Party, said in a meeting with reporters after attending the Korean Medical Association’s regular delegate assembly at The-K Hotel in Yangjae-dong, Seoul, “Whether it happens before or after the 30th, it should be done flexibly and naturally” regarding the merger with the People’s Party.

At the same event, when asked if he planned to meet Acting Leader Joo, Ahn said, “There are no plans yet.”

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