Chung Dong-young Moving to Rejoin DP
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
The leader of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) proposed Thursday forming an alliance with other opposition forces to defeat the ruling party in the June 2 local elections.
The DP will open its door wider to them, party Chairman Chung Sye-kyun said in his New Year's news conference at its headquarters in Seoul.
The remarks were construed as his willingness to allow independent lawmaker Chung Dong-young, a candidate in the last presidential election, to rejoin the party.
The move came a day after the DP leader sat down one-on-one with the independent upon the latter's request in late December.
During the closed-door meeting, the independent reportedly apologized for his running in the by-elections last April.
He made the excuse that he had no other option then, party insiders said.
Last March, the DP chairman chose a North Korea expert over the former unification minister to run in the by-elections on the DP's ticket, saying Chung needed to wait for a future opportunity.
Chung then left the DP to run as an independent in a North Jeolla district, where he was previously elected to the National Assembly twice, in defiance of the DP leaders' objections. He won the election, dealing a blow to the party.
Mainstreamers within the DP led by the chairman opposed the independent's return to the party for having done it damage in the by-elections.
The independent, who served as minister of unification during the previous Roh Moo-hyun administration, has enjoyed the highest support in the Jeolla provinces, the home turf of the party.
The DP leader said, "When we win districts in the local elections, we will form a coalition government there with other opposition groups."
He vowed to take a set of reformative measures to win the local polls.
Under the plan, the DP will allow selected citizens, dubbed "Citizen Juries," to participate in the selections of candidates to run in the elections on the DP's ticket.
The party adopted the bottom-up measure to make sure that the selection process is fair, merit-based and more democratic.
During Wednesday's meeting, Chairman Chung reportedly eased his position and further shared the need to have the former unification minister back in the DP.
The shift came as the nation will go to the polls to pick governors, mayors and council members.
To consolidate liberal votes in the election, the incumbent DP leader has to seek unity, which probably influenced him into taking the independent back.
The DP will choose new leaders a month after the elections as the incumbent chairman's two-year term expires in July.