Sohn and Moon move to form united left-wing party

Main opposition Democratic Party leader Sohn Hak-kyu and the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation chairman Moon Jae-in reached consensus on creating an integrated liberal party on Wednesday.

They agreed to hold a national convention to consolidate liberal parties and select a new leader, but the idea was slammed by DP lawmakers who had their eye on the party’s leadership.

In the Wednesday meeting, Sohn suggested a consolidated national convention be held on Dec. 17 to embrace the entire liberal bloc.

The date is the second-last day that Sohn may hold his chairmanship if he is to take part in the presidential race next November. The party constitution bans presidential runners from holding an in-party post within the year before the election.

His suggestion came from the view that co-chairmanship contradictsw the concept of true unity and that the party’s next chairman may not achieve integration should the DP hold its internal race first.

Though Moon did not offer an immediate statement, the two figures “understood and consented to each other’s intentions,” according to their aides.

It has been the DP’s priority to unify all influential liberal groups, especially since last month’s Seoul mayoral by-election victory for independent candidate Park Won-soon.

The party’s other presidential hopefuls, such as Reps. Chung Dong-young and Chung Sye-kyun, also stood behind Sohn’s blueprint.

The new integrated party, if it goes as planned, would symbolize the union of the long separated DP and the pro-Roh Moo-hyun group.

When the Uri Party, the predecessor of the DP, broke up in 2007, key aides to former liberal Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun refused to join the United New Democratic Party and fell out of party politics.

Though DP lawmakers frequently claimed during election years to be successors to the former presidents, the left-wing party has so far been seen as failing to represent the two former liberal leaders.

The plan, however, saw opposition from the DP’s chairman aspirants and from some minority left-wing parties.

“Integration is a complex process and should take place only after the party first selects its next leadership,” said Rep. Park Jie-won, former floor leader who is expected to challenge the party’s leadership.

Rep. Kim Boo-kyum also blamed Sohn for attempting to skip the formality of dissolving the current party.

“According to the political party law, the consolidation and dissolution of a party may only be achieved through the national convention,” he said.

The two figures, together with their supporters, gathered late Wednesday and resolved to collect signatures from more than 25 percent of the party lawmakers, a minimum quota required to call the DP’s own national convention, officials said.

Rep. Rhyu Si-min, leader of the People’s Participation Party, refrained from joining the Sohn-Moon proposal.

“We will consider the possibility if all other minority parties including the Democratic Labor Party should participate, too,” Rhyu said.

Meanwhile, Seoul mayor Park hinted that he may join the new integrated party but responded skeptically to the idea of a separate liberal party affiliated with professor Ahn Cheol-soo.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)