Kim Minseok: "We Must Address Dual Party Membership"... Innovation Party: "Trust Must Come First"

Grand Integration Task Force Launched Under Party Leader
Innovation Party Expresses Regret Over "Unilateral Announcement"
Remarks on Dual Membership and Party Member Management Raise Tensions

Minseok Kim, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, visited Jinsik Shin, leader of the Innovation Party, on the 24th. During the meeting, Kim stated, "(The Innovation Party is) our closest partner," but also added, "There are still various issues that must be resolved to improve the relationship."

Kim further explained, "Within the party, the issue of holding dual party memberships is being raised as a practical concern," and continued, "Although it is a challenging problem, I believe it is an obstacle we must overcome if we want to establish a future-oriented relationship that everyone understands and supports."

Minseok Kim, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (right), shook hands with Jinsik Shin, leader of the Innovation Party, during a visit on the 24th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

He went on to say, "We have appointed Assemblyman Lee Hae-sik as the person in charge of relations with the Innovation Party regarding major unification, and have designated Supreme Council Member Park Sun-won as the official responsible for party member restructuring, including the dual membership issue. We plan to proceed with both tasks simultaneously." Before visiting the Innovation Party, Kim had announced at the Supreme Council meeting that he would establish the 'Grand Alliance Promotion Task Force,' a body directly under the party leader, to build a wide-ranging coalition encompassing reformist and progressive parties.

The Innovation Party, for its part, maintains that restoring trust between the two parties must come first. Shin stressed, "The wounds between the two parties need to be healed before anything else. Trust must be restored."

Park Byeong-eon, spokesperson for the Innovation Party, met with reporters after the closed-door meeting and said, "By appointing Assemblyman Lee in charge of the alliance, and separately designating Supreme Council Member Park to handle the dual membership issue, there was an effort to address the problem," but added, "Rather than indicating efforts to rebuild trust, I am concerned that these remarks could actually heighten tensions."

Prior to Kim's visit, the Innovation Party had issued a statement expressing regret over the unilateral announcement of a body and official in charge of the alliance with the Innovation Party, stating, "For the alliance to be substantive, restoring trust between the two parties must come first."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.