Leading figures of the main opposition Democratic Party on Monday once again called for consolidation of the liberal bloc, while stepping up pressure on professor Ahn Cheol-soo to join them and abandon the potential creation of a new political party.

“The DP welcomes the integration plan suggested by Innovation and Integration, which basically agreed with our plan to bring liberal groups as one,” said the party chairman Rep. Sohn Hak-kyu in the party’s Supreme Council meeting on Monday.

“Through the Oct. 26 by-elections, we have learned clearly that solidarity is what the people are expecting from us.”

He also urged party members to aim for bigger changes and not to be carried away by the Seoul mayoral race victory.

Supreme Council member Rep. Chung Dong-young suggested the U.S.-Korea free trade bill ratification as the key factor and urged party members to block the ratification by all means.

He also claimed that the party is to raise its voice further in tuition cut plans and unemployment solutions in order to convince young voters to support the new consolidated liberal party.

Chung reiterated calls for Ahn to join these series of projects.

“The very mention of a new political party, as implausible as it is, indicates disunity within the opposition bloc and lowers our chance to overturn the powers in next year’s elections,” he said.

“Should Ahn be determined to run in the presidential race, he should first come along with Mayor Park Won-soon and play his role in opposition unification.”

But Chung denied the suspicions that the DP’s moves were based on its efforts to safeguard its own interest and to prevent other liberal groups from gaining an upper hand.

“I am ready to give up on my seat in the Supreme Council, if it turns out to be necessary to achieve unity,” he said.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)