Choo Emphasizes 'Integration Theory' Daily... Tells Lee Sang-min "Mind Your Own Business... Stay Faithful to Your Duties"

"Lee Sang-min, Party Election Commission Chair, Cools 'Unification' Proposal"
Governor Lee Jae-myung Welcomes Position of Choi Kang-wook, Open Democratic Party Leader

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] The campaign team of former Minister of Justice and Democratic Party presidential candidate Chu Mi-ae sharply criticized Lee Sang-min, chairman of the party's election management committee, calling his remarks "an incomprehensible meddling."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 10th, Chu’s campaign issued a statement saying, "This morning, Chairman Lee appeared on a radio broadcast and dismissed Chu Mi-ae’s proposal to merge with the Open Democratic Party as merely a 'political power reshuffling,' expressing a skeptical response."

Chu’s team pointed out, "The election management committee chairman should faithfully fulfill his primary duty as a fair manager of the primary election," adding, "It is not a place to attach his own opinions or comments to the candidates’ platforms or claims one by one."

They continued, "It is especially inappropriate to perceive the relationship between the Democratic Party and the Open Democratic Party as a mere political power reshuffling," adding, "Such remarks only hurt party members and supporters."

Chu’s campaign also stated, "During the preliminary primary, we endured and exercised restraint despite the controversy caused by the biased and unfair placement of interviewers in the public interviews, striving to contribute to the success of the party’s primary," and criticized, "Despite numerous cases that raise doubts about the fairness of the election management committee, we respectfully advise refraining from remarks that dampen the efforts of the majority of candidates who sincerely participate in the primary and to faithfully fulfill the duty of fair primary management."

Earlier that morning, Chairman Lee, in an interview with KBS Radio, drew a line on the merger proposal between the Open Democratic Party and the Democratic Party proposed by former Minister Chu, saying, "Politics must meet a just cause and have a consensus that the public can accept," and "Currently, the Open Democratic Party and the Democratic Party have both shared and differing goals, but merging is not an easy task." He further criticized, "Political parties and political forces merging unconditionally just because they are needed has not been a good sight so far."

Previously, former Minister Chu proposed at a press conference, "The members and supporters of the Open Democratic Party are comrades who together brought about the Moon Jae-in government and candlelight democracy," urging the party leadership to "take responsible steps toward merging with the Open Democratic Party."

In response, Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung and Open Democratic Party leader Choi Kang-wook responded positively. Chu’s campaign issued a separate statement welcoming "the merger stance of Open Democratic Party leader Choi Kang-wook and candidate Lee Jae-myung," and urged the party leadership to decide quickly, saying, "Nothing is worse than the division of democratic reform forces. We must make a decision as soon as possible to prevent this division from continuing any longer."

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