Rep. Han Jun-ho, an ally of Lee Jae-myung, of the Democratic Party of Korea, on the 1st called on Jung Chung-rae, the party leader, to halt a merger with the Rebuilding Korea Party.
Han held a press conference at the National Assembly the same day and said, "What the party must show party members and the public now is responsibility, not internal conflict," adding, "Integration without sufficient deliberation can be the beginning of another split. Now is the time to be more cautious than anything else."
Han said, "It is hard to see that opinions within the party have sufficiently coalesced on a merger, and it is also necessary to carefully examine the concerns of the general public, especially moderates," proposing, "Withdraw the merger proposal cleanly, and let's focus our strength on what we must do best right now." Han also demanded objective grounds and indicators that a merger would help win the local elections.
Han also took issue with Jung Chung-rae's explanation that he had communicated with the presidential office, saying, "It is highly inappropriate to cite the president as a basis for a merger."