Ruling party, satellite party agree to seek merger

Democratic Party Chairman Song Young-gil (L) and the party's presidential nominee, Lee Jae-myung, pose for photos at a meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul on Oct. 11, 2021. (Yonhap)

The ruling Democratic Party said Thursday it has agreed with the minor Open Democratic Party to seek their merger, a move that comes less than four months ahead of the presidential election.

The agreement was reached during a meeting between DP Chairman Song Young-gil and his Open Democratic Party counterpart, Choe Kang-wook, according to Koh Yong-jin, a senior DP spokesperson.

The minor party is considered a "satellite party" of the DP, as it was launched by former DP lawmakers ahead of last year's parliamentary elections and went on to win three proportional representation seats in the National Assembly.

The DP, which holds an absolute majority of 169 out of 295 seats, has appointed Rep. Woo Sang-ho to lead the merger negotiations. (Yonhap)