Democratic Party (DP) chair Lee Jae-myung urged former party leader Lee Nak-yon not to form his own political party during a surprise one-on-one meeting Saturday.

Speaking to reporters after the one-hour session at a restaurant in central Seoul on Saturday morning, the current DP chief said he told his predecessor and former prime minister that they must maintain party unity and win the next general election because of the gravity of Korea's political situation.

He also said while the DP has many flaws and has failed expectations, leaving the party was not the answer.

However, the former prime minister told reporters after the meeting that the current party chair refused to form an interim leadership committee, as he and others critical of Lee Jae-myung's leadership have demanded.

Lee Nak-yon also said the public's rejection of the party was due not to a lack of unity but a lack of change, reaffirming his determination to form a new party.

He is expected to present a message on the creation of a new party with his supporters at Haengju Fortress on New Year's Day.