The United New Democratic Party and the Democratic Party at long last agreed on a merger on Monday. In a joint press conference at the National Assembly, UNDP Chairman Sohn Hak-kyu and DP Chairman Park Sang-chun formally announced their agreement to serve as co-chairmen and manage the new party together. But Sohn will be registered with the National Election Commission as the sole legal head of the new party.
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United New Democratic Party Chairman Sohn Hak-kyu (left) and his Democratic Party counterpart Park Sang-chun shake hands after agreeing to merge to achieve unity and reform on Monday.
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It has been four years and five months since Roh Moo-hyun loyalists defected from the then New Millennium Democratic Party and founded the Uri Party. The Uri Party was disbanded even before Roh leaves Cheong Wa Dae, in the wake of what were widely seen as policy failures and alienation of voters, only to reform as the UNDP soon after. Now the UNDP and DP have effectively re-merged, the Roh experiment can be said to be over.
In a joint manifesto, the UNDP and the DP said, "If the Grand National Party wins more than 200 seats (the minimum number required to amend the Constitution) in the April general election, the multi-party system will remain in name only and the country's democracy will face a crisis. Therefore, we agreed to found a powerful new centrist, reform-minded, united party."
The two parties will report their merger to the NEC this weekend and hold a national convention within three months after the general election.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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