Cho Kuk, leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, raised his voice over criticism inside the Democratic Party of Korea against a merger, saying it was "discourteous." He also urged the party to quickly align its internal views.
At a supreme council meeting held on Feb. 5 at the Busan Port International Passenger Terminal, Cho said, "In the process of the Democratic Party of Korea's merger discussions, there has been criticism and ridicule directed at the Rebuilding Korea Party and me," adding, "In the course of the Democratic Party of Korea's internal debate, there is no sign of courtesy toward a friendly party (우당)."
He went on, "They are spinning conspiracy theories piled on imagination. Just because a party is small does not mean it has no pride," adding, "I hope the Democratic Party of Korea swiftly puts its house in order. I trust the collective intelligence of Democratic Party of Korea members."
Earlier, the Democratic Party of Korea showed signs of escalating conflict over a possible merger with the Rebuilding Korea Party. In this process, Lee Un-ju, a supreme council member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said, "Among Democratic Party of Korea supporters, there is even talk that the party is being used as a host for one individual's presidential power play, and that this is an attempt to stake a claim for the next round."