Rep. Park Beom-kye, who heads the Democratic Party of Korea's grand integration task force, said party-to-party discussions on a merger or alliance with the Rebuilding Korea Party are already underway, saying the two sides are "talking at the working level." The Rebuilding Korea Party immediately pushed back, calling the account untrue.
Appearing on a YouTube program hosted by Kim Ou-joon on the 2nd, Park said Rep. Lee Hae-sik "is holding working-level talks with Rep. Jung Chun-sook, the Rebuilding Korea Party's secretary-general." He added that party leader Kim Min-seok's position is that a merger is possible if a majority of members in both the Democratic Party and the Rebuilding Korea Party agree through democratic procedures. Park has been given full authority over the Democratic Party's integration and alliance efforts, including those involving the broader ruling bloc, while Lee has been given full authority over discussions specific to the Rebuilding Korea Party.
Park said both options remain on the table. "We are keeping both choices open, a merger and an alliance," he said. "This is not an arithmetic average or a compromise that would strip either side of its identity. We are talking about alliance and integration while each side keeps its identity clear." Turning to the Rebuilding Korea Party, which has responded cautiously to the integration talks, he said, "I would ask leader Shin Jang-sik to consider taking a somewhat more forward-looking view."
Park also said he intends to consult former Rebuilding Korea Party leader Cho Kuk, a symbolic figure in the party. "What former leader Cho thinks also matters," he said. "I plan to meet him together with Rep. Lee and talk candidly and humbly."
Rep. Jin Sung-joon of the Democratic Party, who appeared on the same program, said a merger would be the best outcome but that the decision rests with the Rebuilding Korea Party. "A merger is the best option, but the Rebuilding Korea Party seems to hold the key," he said. "There is no choice but to judge whether it is better to merge and go into the elections together, or whether it is more advantageous to cooperate in the elections while walking an independent path."
After the broadcast, however, Jung issued a statement rejecting Park's account. "I have not had any conversation with Rep. Lee regarding integration," she said. "The Rebuilding Korea Party's position is clear. Integration and alliance cannot be achieved through slogans; they must be based on trust," she added. "If the Democratic Party genuinely wants integration and alliance, we ask that it show respect and courtesy toward the other party."
She stressed that implementing the agreement reached at the "round-table conference," where the parties joined forces to root out insurrection and achieve a change of government, is the starting point for restoring trust. The Democratic Party earlier signed a round-table conference declaration with five parties, including the Rebuilding Korea Party, the Progressive Party, the Basic Income Party and the Social Democratic Party, that called for easing the requirements for forming a negotiation bloc in the National Assembly and introducing runoff voting.
Within the Rebuilding Korea Party, sentiment appears skeptical toward merger talks with the Democratic Party. Observers attribute that to the collapse of earlier merger discussions within the Democratic Party ahead of the June 3 local elections, as well as lingering resentment from the National Assembly by-election in Pyeongtaek B, Gyeonggi Province, where Cho ran.
