On the 1st, Rebuilding Korea Party Secretary-General Lee Hae-min held a press conference and, regarding speculation within the Democratic Party of Korea about a backroom deal for a merger, expressed displeasure, calling it a "very malicious frame."
Lee said, "Although the Innovation Party has responded in an orderly manner as a public party to an abrupt merger proposal, political offensives that damage mutual trust continue to spread, moving us further from politics of hope," and noted, "Words like 'backroom deal' or 'attack material' captured recently on the floor of the National Assembly's plenary session showed politics of disappointment that drag the Rebuilding Korea Party and the presidential office into the Democratic Party's internal complex calculations and strife."
He continued, "The Democratic Party of Korea, which said it would eradicate fake news, in fact condones the organized spreading false information toward a friendly party, and even uses fake news as material for attacks through its Spokesperson, which casts doubt on the sincerity of its unification proposal," and added, "With a spirit of taking responsibility for what it initiated, the Democratic Party should directly put in order the intra-party conflict and fake news related to this topic and show a responsible attitude so that the party leader's proposal does not degenerate into a mud fight."
Lee also addressed smears in some quarters that the Rebuilding Korea Party is begging for a merger, saying they are "highly insulting and untrue," and added, "Despite receiving a sudden proposal, the party that respected that proposal and prepared an orderly response is the Rebuilding Korea Party."
Lee said, "Do not externalize internal problems through fake news and slander."