3 ex-DP lawmakers launch new party ahead of April elections

Three lawmakers who left the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) earlier this week announced Friday they plan to launch a new party ahead of April's general elections. Reps. Cho Eung-cheon, Kim Jong-min and Lee Won-wook left the DP on Wednesday after their demands for party reforms, including the resignation of party leader Lee Jae-myung, were rejected. Their departures also came amid speculation they are unlikely to win party nominations in the upcoming elections. A day later, former DP leader Lee Nak-yon also quit the DP. "We cannot change people's lives unless we destroy the bulletproof and hegemonic politics, the winner-takes-all politics of hatred and confrontation, and the politics for selective people of incompetence and irresponsibility," Cho said in a press conference. Along with the three lawmakers that left the DP, two former lawmakers, Park Won-suk and Jeong Tae-keun, were present at the conference. Park and Jeong each left their respective parties -- the minor opposition Justice Party and the ruling People Power Party -- on Thursday. "Let's move from a country of the conservatives and the liberals to a country for everyone," Park said. The new party is expected to begin talks to unite with Lee Nak-yon, a former DP leader, and other prominent political figures who have signaled plans to form new parties ahead of the elections. Source: Yonhap News Agency