Democratic Party faces fracture after Lee rejects calls to resign

The majority Democratic Party (DP) may splinter in the new year with current leader Lee Jae-myung shooting down former DP chief Lee Nak-yon's call for his resignation over the weekend.

Lee Jae-myung, right, chairman of the Democratic Party (DP), and former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon exit their breakfast meeting at a restaurant in central Seoul on Saturday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

The majority Democratic Party (DP) may splinter in the new year with current leader Lee Jae-myung shooting down former DP chief Lee Nak-yon's call for his resignation over the weekend.

The two liberal heavyweights met Saturday trying to overcome their differences following Lee Nak-yon's ultimatum for Lee Jae-myung to step down as DP chairman and agree to a joint interim leadership committee ahead of the general elections in April.

However, the two sides failed to find common ground, and Lee Nak-yon, a former prime minister during the Moon Jae-in administration, signaled he could defect the DP soon to form a new party.

The two Lees held a surprise meeting at a restaurant near Seoul City Hall on Saturday morning but only confirmed their differences through their talks, which lasted for around 50 minutes.

"There may be many complications and some shortcomings in the party, but I said in earnest that leaving the party is not the way to go," DP Chairman Lee told reporters after the meeting. "I told him we must find a way to achieve unity and use that strength to overcome despair and asked the [former] prime minister to deeply reconsider one more time."

"I wanted to confirm the will to change from Rep. Lee Jae-myung, but wasn't able to," former Prime Minister Lee said about the meeting. "It's important to protect the DP, but I believe it's more important to protect the values, spirit and dignity that [former Presidents] Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun embodied."

His remarks indicated that he would carry out his plans to leave the party because he couldn't overcome his differences with Chairman Lee.

"Despite the blunders of the Yoon Suk Yeol government, the reason the DP hasn't been recognized as an alternative by the people is not because it isn't united, but because it hasn't changed," he added. "Unfortunately, we could not confirm the DP's will to change today."

When asked if there had been any discussions about forming a joint interim leadership committee, ex-Prime Minister Lee said that the DP chief had "rejected it."

He expressed regret, noting there had been sincere calls from both within and outside the party for an interim leadership and that he had waited for an answer from Lee, "but there was no response."

When asked if he was leaving the party, he replied he would reveal his plans "gradually," adding, "I will do something a little more valuable."

Lee Jae-myung, left, chairman of the Democratic Party (DP), and former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon hold a breakfast meeting at a restaurant in central Seoul on Saturday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

DP spokesman Park Sung-joon, who attended the meeting, said in a briefing that the DP chief had rejected the demands made by the former prime minister. He added there will be no further meetings.

Regarding the demands to step down as DP chief, Park said that Chairman Lee said that "it would be difficult to accept a resignation" and that there had been no talk of forming an emergency steering committee or another alternative.

On Friday, the DP chairman met Han Dong-hoon, the new interim chief of the rival People Power Party (PPP), for the first time.

Despite previous tensions, two party leaders held cordial discussions, with Han expressing hopes to "engage in a constructive dialogue" to transcend their differences and "pursue politics that serve the people."

Lee, in turn, extended his welcome to Han and emphasized the role of politics in safeguarding the nation.

The PPP also has faced internal woes and launched its new emergency steering committee after former Chairman Lee Gi-hyeon stepped down to take responsibility for the party's predicaments as it tries to reform itself.

Han's new 11-member emergency steering committee also saw a rocky start after Rep. Min Kyung-wook, a member of the emergency committee, stepped down from the post Thursday, a day after his appointment, to take responsibility for controversy over making remarks that were said to be "demeaning to older people."

Former PPP chief Lee Jun-seok also left his party of 11 years last week, announcing plans to form a new party as well, though other members who were not Yoon loyalists didn't follow in his steps.

Han, a former prosecutor and a close confidant of the president, will also be charged with working to find his political footing with just over four months left until the parliamentary elections, which would be a decisive factor in the fate of the remaining half of the Yoon administration and its ability to carry out its envisioned tasks.

Likewise, the first week of the new year is expected to be a watershed moment for the DP as the schism divides the faction of loyalists to Chairman Lee and those who are not widens with the prime minister's looming defection.

DP chief Lee has faced legal woes for his alleged involvement in land development scandals during his time as mayor of Seongnam in Gyeonggi and illegal remittances made by underwear company Ssangbangwool Group to North Korea during his time as Gyeonggi governor.

The DP has seen other defections, including DP Rep. Lee Sang-min, a five-term lawmaker who quit the party in early December after accusing the pro-Lee faction of exercising too much influence.

Several DP lawmakers indicate they could follow suit in support of former Prime Minister Lee.

Chairman Lee, in turn, plans to visit the grave of late President Kim Dae-Jung at the Seoul National Cemetery on Tuesday, the first day of the new year, and then visit Bongha Village in South Gyeongsang to visit the grave of former President Roh Moo-hyun in a message of strengthening unity within the party.

On Tuesday, he is expected to visit Pyeongsan Village in South Gyeongsang to meet with former President Moon Jae-in and seek advice on responding to the party's division and general election strategy.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]