DP's Lee Jae-myung gets endorsement of liberal Jinbo Party

The Democratic Party (DP) and the progressive Jinbo Party announced a political merger on Friday, consolidating their support behind DP candidate Lee Jae-myung ahead of the June 3 presidential election.

Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung and Jinbo Party leader Kim Jae-yeon pose for a photo after a meeting of progressive parties at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul on Feb. 19. [NEWS1]

The Democratic Party (DP) and the progressive Jinbo Party announced a political merger on Friday, consolidating their support behind DP candidate Lee Jae-myung ahead of the June 3 presidential election.

Jinbo Party candidate Kim Jae-yeon declared her withdrawal from the race and endorsed Lee during a joint press conference held at the office of the DP chair in the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul. With her withdrawal, Lee becomes the sole presidential candidate representing left-leaning parties with parliamentary presence.

The DP has been in talks with various progressive parties — including the Jinbo Party and the Rebuilding Korea Party — as well as civil society organizations to form a united policy front.

“As the presidential candidate of the Jinbo Party, I am ready to give everything to achieve a change in government that can harness the power of the public square to uproot antidemocratic forces and advance sweeping reforms,” Kim said. “I hereby end my campaign and endorse Lee as the candidate of the people.”

“Today, we declare the beginning of a united progressive political front to block the return of far-right forces and push forward a bold agenda of reform,” Kim went on. “An overwhelming electoral victory is necessary to build a new Korea.”

The five left-leaning parties — the DP, Jinbo Party, Rebuilding Korea Party, Basic Income Party and Social Democratic Party — and a civic coalition issued a joint statement declaring Lee their unified presidential candidate.

Lawmakers from the five left-leaning parties — the Democratic Party, Jinbo Party, Rebuilding Korea Party, Basic Income Party and Social Democratic Party — pose for a photograph after a meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on May 9. [NEWS1]

“We will achieve an overwhelming victory in this presidential election through active solidarity and cooperation to prevent the return of far-right insurrectionist forces and defend the sovereignty of the people,” the statement read. “We declare our full support for Lee to bring about a complete end to the Dec. 3 insurrection attempt and secure a sweeping transition of power.”

The coalition also pledged to pursue a special counsel investigation into former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s involvement in the Dec. 3 emergency martial law incident, to establish a Special Committee on Anti-Constitutional Acts, and to reintroduce key bills that were vetoed under the Yoon administration.

Additional pledges include the introduction of a runoff voting system for presidential elections, reform to enhance proportional representation in legislative elections, easing the threshold for parliamentary negotiation blocs and forming a constitutional reform special committee in the National Assembly to promote participatory constitutional amendments.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff. BY CHO MUN-GYU [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]