The ruling Democratic Party(DP) has decided to suspend discussions on a potential merger with the minor Rebuilding Korea Party until after the June 3 local elections.

DP Chairman Jung Chung-rae announced the decision at a briefing after a closed-door Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly on Tuesday evening.

Jung said the party would form a preparatory committee for the merger and would propose that the Rebuilding Korea Party do the same, adding that integration efforts would resume after the local elections through the preparatory body.

The DP chair said his merger proposal was intended to secure victory in the local elections and support the success of the Lee Jae Myung government, but acknowledged that it had instead fueled broader concerns and failed to create momentum.

Chung said he had listened carefully to lawmakers and reviewed public opinion indicators among Democratic Party supporters and could not ignore growing calls from within and outside the party.

While expressing regret that a full party-wide vote could not take place, Chung apologized to the public and to members of both parties for the confusion, saying that unity was more urgent than merger discussions.