A four-term lawmaker previously affiliated with the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) was set to join the ruling People Power Party on Monday as a factional rift in the DP deepened over candidate nominations for the April 10 parliamentary elections.

Rep. Kim Young-joo, a deputy National Assembly speaker, quit the DP last month, protesting the party’s inclusion of her in a list of underperformers to be disadvantaged in election nominations amid allegations the party is sidelining those not aligned with leader Lee Jae-myung.

Non-mainstream members have claimed the list amounts to a “massacre” of those outside the pro-Lee faction.

Similarly, Rep. Hong Young-pyo, another four-term lawmaker who served as the DP’s floor leader and is considered outside the pro-Lee faction, is also expected to announce his future plans after he was also placed in the category of lower 20 percent underperformers.

Another heavyweight politician excluded from DP nominations was Im Jong-seok, a former chief of staff for precedi
ng President Moon Jae-in. Im had initially strongly protested his exclusion from nominations but announced Monday that he would accept the decision.

“I accept the party’s decision,” Im said in a Facebook post after previously urging the party leadership to reconsider their decision to exclude him.

Despite widespread speculation about defections, a close confidant of Im told Yonhap News Agency that his message should be interpreted as his intention to remain with the party.

Earlier, Im reportedly met with Lee Nak-yon, a former prime minister who had previously defected from the DP to launch a new party. Lee criticized the DP for becoming what he called party leader Lee’s personal faction.

Source: Yonhap News Agency