▲ Jung Chung-rae (C), leader of the ruling Democratic Party, is seen after attending a general meeting of party lawmakers at the National Assembly in Seoul on Feb. 10, 2026. (Yonhap)

ruling party-merger proposal

Ruling party lawmakers reach consensus on difficulty of merging with minor party ahead of local elections

By Yi Wonju

SEOUL, Feb. 10 (Yonhap) -- Lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) reached a consensus that pushing for a merger with the minor liberal Rebuilding Korea Party would be difficult ahead of local elections in early June, officials said Tuesday.

The consensus is seen as putting the brakes on a push by DP leader Jung Chung-rae, who raised the proposal last month that the ruling party would merge with the Rebuilding Korea Party before the local elections.

DP spokesperson Park Soo-hyun told reporters that most lawmakers agreed on the need to merge with the minor party to better help secure a landslide victory in the June 3 elections, but there were different views on how and when the two political parties would merge.

"While the lawmakers generally shared the view that unity is necessary, there was a consensus that pushing for the merger, even if it had rationale, was difficult under the current circumstances," the spokesperson said, after the party's lawmakers concluded a meeting on the party leader's proposal.

The lawmakers also agreed that the proposal intensified tensions within the ruling party although it came out of a "genuine intention to secure the party's landslide victory in the local elections and the success of the administration," according to Park.

Many lawmakers suggested continuing the discussions after the elections, he added.

The DP plans to reach a final decision on the proposal at a meeting of its supreme council later in the day.

Former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, who leads the minor party, earlier asked the DP to make its final decision by Friday.

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