Lee Jae-myung (left), the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, enters a restaurant with former party leader Lee Nak-yon in central Seoul, Saturday. (Yonhap)

Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, on Saturday rejected former party leader Lee Nak-yon's call for his resignation as they failed to patch up their differences.

The two sides met for talks in Seoul after the former party leader demanded Lee Jae-myung step down and agree to form a joint interim leadership committee ahead of the general elections scheduled for next April.

The current leader rejected both demands and called on the former leader to remain in the party during their meeting, according to the party's spokesperson Park Sung-joon in a briefing.

The former leader has vowed to launch a new party next year if Lee declines his proposal by the end of the year.

"I earnestly told him that leaving the party is not the path to go," Lee Jae-myung told reporters after the meeting.

The former leader told reporters that he will go his own way when asked about his future plans, effectively expressing his departure from the party. (Yonhap)