Jung Chung-rae pushes back, Rebuilding Korea Party piles on — Kim Min-seok's leadership put to the test

Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok is facing mounting political pressure as the Nov. 25 100-day mark of his leadership approaches, with calls for a merger with the Rebuilding Korea Party growing louder and the party's approval rating stagnating. The pressure has intensified after Jung Chung-rae, a Democratic Party lawmaker who competed against Kim for the party leadership, publicly set a deadline for the merger — putting Kim's leadership squarely on the line.

Park Beom-gye, a Democratic Party lawmaker serving as head of the party's grand unification task force, said Monday on MBC Radio that if a merger with the Rebuilding Korea Party is possible, "it would be desirable for both leaderships to pursue it swiftly and decisively." On timing, Park said there is "room until around next summer," but added that "a moment requiring a political decision is coming regardless."

Merger talks had been in effect stalled since an unexpected announcement earlier this year under the previous leadership of Jung Chung-rae. The issue resurfaced recently after reports emerged that the topic came up at a dinner between President Lee Jae Myung and senior Democratic Party lawmakers who have served five or more terms.

Jung reignited the debate by setting January as a deadline for completing the merger. Appearing on the YouTube channel "Park Si-young TV" on Saturday, Jung said, "Shouldn't we give at least six months for members coming from the Rebuilding Korea Party to recruit dues-paying members ahead of the general election?" Jung added, "The sooner the better — it must be wrapped up by January at the latest."

Author Yu Si-min, who leans toward the pro-government camp, said last month on the same YouTube channel that the Rebuilding Korea Party's polling numbers rise "when people disappointed with President Lee and the Democratic Party pick up survey calls to register their views." Yu added that the party "is evolving from an icebreaker into a lifeboat — a Noah's Ark — for the liberal-progressive camp."

A poll released Monday showed the Rebuilding Korea Party recording its highest support in nearly two years by Realmeter's measure. In a party approval survey conducted by polling firm Realmeter from Thursday to Friday among 1,005 adults aged 18 and older nationwide, the People Power Party stood at 40.2 percent, the Democratic Party at 38.3 percent and the Rebuilding Korea Party at 8.1 percent.

The Rebuilding Korea Party's figure is its highest since the first week of November 2024, when it reached 9.0 percent. (The survey used an automated response method with 100 percent wireless coverage; the margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level; the response rate was 3.0 percent. For details, visit the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.)

The Rebuilding Korea Party appears to be digging in on merger talks with the Democratic Party. Kim Jun-hyung, the Rebuilding Korea Party's floor leader, said at the party's supreme council meeting Monday that a merger "is not a cheap card to be pulled out easily for the ruling party to shift the political narrative," adding that it "must not become a political calculation aimed at padding seat counts."