The gap is widening between Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok and the Rebuilding Korea Party over easing the requirements for forming a negotiating bloc in the National Assembly. After Kim said the 10-seat threshold sought by the Rebuilding Korea Party lacked a clear basis and signaled support for 15 seats, the minor party pushed back, saying he had no intention of giving up entrenched interests.
Kim made the remarks on the 18th on the Democratic Party's official YouTube channel "Minty07," saying there were "more grounds for 15 seats" than for the alternative, referring to the current threshold of 20 seats. He cited the fact that the lowest past threshold for forming a negotiating bloc, measured against the total number of lawmakers, was 5%. Applying 5% to the current 300-member National Assembly yields 15 seats. Still, he left room for talks, saying the figure "could well change in the course of discussions."
The Rebuilding Korea Party responded immediately. Jung Chun-sook, the party's secretary-general, wrote on Facebook that Kim was "claiming to act as the elder brother of the progressive camp while having no intention whatsoever of giving up entrenched interests." She added: "For someone who knows all too well how difficult it is to win 5% of the seats under a two-party system in which money, organization and institutions all flow to the two major parties, proposing a 5% standard reads as a lack of will for political reform."
The Rebuilding Korea Party, which holds 12 seats, could form a negotiating bloc on its own if the threshold were lowered to 10 seats. At 15 seats, it would need to join forces with other parties, such as the Progressive Party, which holds four seats. Negotiating blocs set parliamentary schedules and other business, and they differ from non-bloc parties in floor operations, including the appointment of standing committee liaisons.
