Merger Between Democratic Party and Rebuilding Korea Party Appears to Fall Through: "Let’s Focus on Lee’s Policy Agenda"

[Financial News] Talks on a merger between the Democratic Party of Korea and the Rebuilding Korea Party appear to be falling through.
Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheong-rae held a meeting with second-term lawmakers on the 10th to discuss the merger talks, and then listened to the views of all lawmakers at a general assembly.
Lawmakers were reportedly inclined to postpone the contentious merger debate until after the local elections, rather than continue the dispute now. Meeting reporters during the assembly, lawmaker Junhyeon Kang stressed, "The idea is that we should focus on the Lee Jae-myung administration’s policy agenda."
First- and second-term lawmakers, who make up the majority, called for the discussion to be revisited after the June local elections, while senior lawmakers also advised that internal strife must not continue ahead of the vote. There were even calls for Supreme Council members, who brought the merger conflict to the surface, to apologize. In effect, the merger is seen as unlikely to go ahead.
Jeong is expected to convene a closed-door Supreme Council meeting later in the afternoon to decide whether to push ahead with the merger.

uknow@fnnews.com Yoonho Kim, Jiwon Song Reporter