Lee Hae-chan hints at the possibility of working with Open Minjoo

Lee Hae-chan, the leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, hinted at the possibility of working with Open Minjoo, which is led by Son Hye-won and Jung Bong-ju, after the general elections. This is in contrast with the criticism his fellow party member voiced the previous day over Open Minjoo’s nomination process.

When asked about a possible party merger if the Democratic Party of Korea fails to become the biggest part in the National Assembly on a radio program on Monday, Lee said the ruling party could consider joining forces with Open Minjoo at least to form a parliament, if not to become the biggest party, implying that his party could assemble negotiation bodies with liberal proportional parties. The biggest party can nominate the speaker of the National Assembly and have an advantage when distributing seats of the standing committee. “Merging two parties is not an easy task as a few more seats would mean we would be given national subsidies,” said Lee, dismissing the possibility of the merger.

His remarks fly in the face of the stance of Yoon Ho-jung, the secretary general of the Democratic Party of Korea, who said Open Minjoo should stop the nomination process. In a press conference on Sunday, he criticized Open Minjoo for recruiting those who were not included in the nomination of the ruling party, calling it inappropriate. “It is a challenge to our nomination process that values morality,” Yoon said.


Sung-Hwi Kang yolo@donga.com