An internal rift is widening within the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) over candidate nominations for the April 10 parliamentary elections, with accusations of what some call a "massacre" of those not aligned with party leader Lee Jae-myung. The party is scheduled to convene a general meeting of its lawmakers later on Tuesday to discuss the electoral map, while a string of lawmakers considered non-mainstream members are expected to express deep discontent over what they perceive as a tilted nomination rule designed to exclude them. They argue that several non-Lee faction lawmakers were categorized among the lower 10 percent or 20 percent in terms of legislative activity, resulting in demerit points when competing with other contenders in party primaries. Rep. Kim Young-joo, a four-term lawmaker and deputy National Assembly speaker widely perceived to be outside the pro-Lee faction, announced earlier that she was placed in the lower 20 percent category and declared her intention to leave the party. O ther DP lawmakers, who were denied nominations or included in the list of underperformers, have also intensified criticism of the party leadership, with Rep. Noh Woong-rae launching a hunger strike and Rep. Lee Su-jin announcing her departure from the party. On Monday, Rep. Ko Min-jung, who is also considered outside the pro-Lee faction, boycotted a meeting of the party's Supreme Council in protest of the way the party nominates candidates, while Rep. Sul Hoon also hinted he could leave the party. Both DP Chairman Lee and the party's nomination committee chief, Im Hyug-baeg, have rejected such accusations, arguing that the party is selecting candidates in a fair and reasonable manner. However, the party's nomination results reveal that a majority of 51 people who secured party nominations without undergoing primaries are considered close to Lee. The party is also set to announce whether to nominate Im Jong-seok, a former presidential chief of staff under the previous Moon Jae-in administration, who has ap plied for candidacy in Seoul's Jung-Seongdong district. Im Hyug-baeg, however, has hinted that the party could nominate Im, a former two-term lawmaker, for Seoul's Songpa Ward, a traditional conservative stronghold where his chances of winning are slim. The outcome could potentially deepen the rift between those aligned with Moon and those in the pro-Lee faction. Source: Yonhap News Agency