Jo Eung-cheon: "The ruling party should move toward the center but is going the opposite way... We must definitely cross the 'Jo Guk River'"

"To Win Over the Centrist Voters, One Must Decide Their Mind... Lee Jae-myung Knows This Too"

Cho Eung-cheon, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Cho Eung-cheon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, emphasized regarding the push for the merger between the Democratic Party and the Open Democratic Party, "We should be heading toward the center, but the direction is going the opposite way," and added, "The biggest task given is ultimately whether we have definitely crossed the river of Cho Kuk."

In an interview with CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 23rd, Rep. Cho said, "(The merger issue) is something to be done at the end of the election, but now from the public's perspective, it seems the Democratic Party is becoming more consolidated again, which is causing concern."

He argued that the merger with the Open Democratic Party could become an obstacle to gaining centrist votes. On the previous day (the 22nd), the integration negotiation delegations of the two parties held a meeting at the National Assembly and agreed to complete the party-to-party integration process within the year.

Regarding the criticism that "the starting point of the centrist voters drifting away from the Democratic Party was the so-called Cho Kuk incident, which has not yet been resolved," Rep. Cho said, "It is a painful criticism, and it is something we will inevitably face someday." He added, "(The Cho Kuk incident) is an unavoidable, really big river. The media or the opposing (presidential) candidate will definitely bring it up before us," and emphasized, "We must firmly decide how to deal with it."

He continued, "Ultimately, the key to this presidential election is whether we can win the hearts of the center," and added, "I can't imagine how we can turn the minds of the centrist voters without crossing that river."

When asked if he had conveyed this to presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, he replied, "Not yet, but I think he knows." He also said that Lee asked him to "give some harsh words," and added, "I'm not someone who refrains from speaking because I was told not to, and since I have special affection, I am trying to be even more direct."

When asked if mentioning the Cho Kuk incident might cause core supporters to defect, he responded, "Even so, I don't think hardcore supporters would go to the People Power Party."

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