SEOUL, – Main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung said Thursday his party should overcome its factional split and be united so it could seize victory in next year’s general elections.
Lee, the chairman of the Democratic Party (DP), made the suggestion as the DP is grappling with a growing division within the party, sparked last month after the DP-controlled parliament voted for a resolution to waive Lee’s immunity from arrest.
The surprise result meant that some among the DP had cast dissenting votes against their leader.
A factional split between lawmakers aligned with Lee and those that were not grew even deeper, after some suggested the party should take disciplinary measures against lawmakers that voted against Lee.
“With the determination that ‘division leads to defeat and unity leads to victory,’ I will take the lead and set an example,” Lee said during a lunch meeting with former and current floor leaders of the DP.
“Many people agree that the upcoming general elections go beyond the issues within the DP, but will become a watershed moment in determining the fate of South Korea.”
Lee’s remarks reflect his renewed strategy that showing a united party is better to shore up voter’s support ahead of the April general elections.
On Monday, the DP chairman dismissed calls to penalize dissenting voters, requesting members to “no longer comment over” what happened in the September vote, on the first day of his return to official party duties after recuperating for almost a month from weeks of hunger strike.
Source: Yonhap News Agency