Seoul: New ruling Democratic Party (DP) leader Kim Min-seok visited former President Moon Jae-in at his residence in Yangsan, pledging to mend the party's internal rifts following a contentious election campaign.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim, who previously served as prime minister and was elected as the party leader on Monday, made these commitments after Moon expressed concerns about the deep-seated wounds among party members from various factions. The leadership race had been tightly contested, with Kim securing 54.08 percent of the votes, surpassing Rep. Jung Chung-rae, who garnered 45.92 percent in his bid for a second term as DP leader. Former leader Song Young-gil finished in third place.
"There are people worried about reconciliation and I ask you as party leader to make special efforts to embrace and achieve harmony," Moon was quoted as saying. In response, Kim assured that he would play a "sufficient role within the party," focusing on initiatives to curb the use of mocking, hateful, and scornful language, as conveyed by senior party spokesperson Park Sung-joon.