The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) faces a possible mass defection of members as internal feuding intensifies over the party’s nomination process for the April 10 general elections. Tensions have reached a peak after Im Jong-seok, former President Moon Jae-in’s chief of staff, was rejected from running in his stronghold constituency .However, in response to the potential wave of departures, DPK leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung has reiterated his stance, maintaining that the nomination process is transparent. He denies speculation of sidelining members who do not align with him. He even stated, “Quitting the party is one’s freedom.”

Sul Hoon, a five-term lawmaker critical of Lee, left the party on Wednesday, protesting his placement in the bottom 10 percent of lawmakers in an evaluation of legislative performance. He perceived this penalty as a de facto obstacle preventing him from winning party primaries .”I am leaving the DPK, where I have served for over 40 years,” he said during a press conference at the National Assembly. “The party has now become solely focused on flattering the leader and gaining recognition from him for candidate nominations, rather than engaging in productive debates on how to improve people’s lives.” The lawmaker told reporters that more DPK members are expected to follow his lead, asserting that many are seriously contemplating leaving the party.

Sul is reportedly considering realigning with the Saemirae Party, a newly-launched political group led by former DPK leader Lee Nak-yon, who is also a vocal critic of the current DPK leader .He was the fourth DPK member to leave the party to protest the alleged unfairness of the nomination process. Rep. Park Young-soon, who was also listed in the bottom 10 percent list, quit the party on Monday and joined the Saemirae Party Last week, Rep. Kim Young-joo, a four-term lawmaker and deputy National Assembly speaker, left the party following her categorization in the lower 20 percent. Similarly, Rep. Lee Su-jin also parted ways with the DPK after the party rejected her 온라인카지노 bid to run in her current constituency of Seoul’s Dongjak-B.