Jung Chung-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, on the 11th addressed the suspension of merger talks with the Rebuilding Korea Party, saying, "I once again apologize for failing to carry out a vote of all party members and am truly sorry to the party members, the rightful owners of the party."
At a supreme council meeting held at the National Assembly this morning, Jung said, "Yesterday (the 10th), the party leadership and I declared we would suspend merger talks before the local elections and pursue unification after the elections," adding, "Going beyond our small differences, we will achieve total unity based on our great common ground solely for victory in the local elections."
He continued, "We crossed the line of the Dec. 3 martial law crisis and waited, united in anxious hearts, for Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment and the Constitutional Court's removal ruling. How furious were we when the judiciary under Jo Hee-de tried to strip Lee Jae-myung of his presidential candidacy," adding, "Let's think only of the success of the Lee Jae-myung administration, launched after untold hardships, and do only what helps us win the local elections going forward."
Jung also emphasized, "We can no longer squander our strength on merger controversies," adding, "As the ground hardens after rain, we will turn this into an opportunity in disguise and go all in on winning the local elections."
He went on, "The Democratic Party's nomination timetable to finish all nominations by Apr. 20 has proceeded without a hair's breadth of error and will continue to do so," adding, "As promised, we will fully guarantee the participation of dues-paying party members in nominations and nominate the most competitive candidates through democratic procedures."