Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok stated, "If the issue of merging with the Rebuilding Korea Party is raised, resolving the problem of dual party membership must be a prerequisite, assuming a vote by party members."

Appearing today (September 17) on "MinT07" on the party's official YouTube channel "Minjoo Party TV," Kim said, "In principle, it is not right, and there are cases where dual party membership exists not only across ruling and opposition parties but also within the progressive camp, such as with the Rebuilding Korea Party."

"Even if we discuss a merger, I said from the beginning that the conclusion (on a merger) would be reached only after resolving the dual party membership issue," Kim emphasized. "That is what is logically correct."

He continued, "Under election laws, progress cannot be made unless each political party provides its roster of members, so I understand that they are currently reviewing and organizing measures on how to handle this."

Regarding religious groups' political interference, including the alleged Shincheonji involvement that was raised during the August 17 national convention, Kim explained, "I understand that an internal party investigation is proceeding thoroughly, and there has been some progress."

"I have handed over all the information I know, including testimony from a high-ranking former Shincheonji figure whom I had in mind and spoke of at the convention," he said.

Regarding concerns raised in some quarters as the convention's public opinion poll results diverged from the voting trends among party members, Kim stated, "There is the issue of checking whether the polling process was distorted, and there appear to be cases where polling agencies engaged in abnormal or unethical commercial practices."

He added, "Poll-related materials from the national convention are locked in a safe, and I understand we are at the stage of deciding whether to examine the actual physical materials. That is an area that requires consent from the convention's election commission at the time."

On his proposal to lower the threshold for forming a parliamentary negotiation group to 15 seats, Kim said, "This was agreed upon a long time ago, and discussions were already held when we visited the Rebuilding Korea Party, the Progressive Party, the Social Democratic Party, and the Basic Income Party. Reactions were mostly positive, and while the Rebuilding Korea Party said there had been no contact, we had already met prior to that."

Kim also reiterated the so-called "Four Unifications."

"Four Unifications" refers to integrating supporters of three former presidents (Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, and Moon Jae-in) and President Lee Jae-myung, an expression used by former leader Jung Chung-rae during the national convention.

"Former leader Jung spoke about the Four Unifications at the last national convention, which was a good remark," Kim emphasized. "Beyond the Four Unifications, we plan to move toward an all-encompassing integration that includes our leadership, party members, and supporters."

He stressed, "Right now, rather than talking about integration, what is more important is standing firmly to protect the president we created amid temporary fluctuations in approval ratings and internal and external challenges as the presidency transitions into its second year."

"We must truly protect the president and ensure we move forward solidly for the next four years," he said. "That is our duty."

Meanwhile, Supreme Council members Choi Minhee, aligned with Jung Chung-rae, and Park Sun-won, aligned with Lee Jae-myung, who fiercely competed for the senior supreme council member post at the August 17 convention, appeared on the program that followed Kim's segment.

Supreme Council member Choi, who had aligned with "Team Jung Chung-rae" against Kim during the convention, remarked, "Many people must have felt reassured when leader Kim spoke of the Four Unifications yesterday."

When asked during a "balance game" segment on the broadcast whether the Democratic Party currently needs more consolidation of its core base or expansion toward moderates, both Choi and Park answered, "Both."

Asked whether the party should first show the public the speed of reforms or tangible results in people's livelihoods, both answered, "Livelihoods."
 
(Photo: Yonhap News)