Incumbents denied party ticket consider breakaway; DUP names more runners


The ruling Saenuri Party’s candidate selection problems for the April parliamentary election deepened Tuesday, as those who were denied nomination mulled collective action, including a massive defection and creation of a new party.

The main opposition Democratic United Party named more runners Tuesday, including Rep. Kim Jin-pyo, who has been criticized for a “dovish” stance on the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement while the party fought fiercely against it.
The rival parties, keen on finding fresh faces to appeal to voters disillusioned with the established partisan politics, are making massive cuts in incumbent lawmakers.

In a flurry of media releases and press conferences, sitting lawmakers and lawmaker aspirants denounced their affiliated party’s candidate-selection process, claiming it unfair.

Kim Hyun-chul, son of former President Kim Young-sam and vice chief of Saenuri’s think tank, the Yeouido Institute, became the first to desert his party membership in protest. 

A group of Saenuri lawmakers who were denied nominations or are highly likely to be denied, met to discuss their course of action.

The party unveiled a day earlier the second batch of candidates, numbering 81. Some 16 sitting lawmakers were denied nomination and 13 of them are considered to belong to a faction loyal to President Lee Myung-bak, which has long been in rivalry with the group following the party’s current chief, Rep. Park Geun-hye.

Another five pro-Lee lawmakers are seen facing the risk of de-selection, as their constituencies have been chosen for “strategic nominations” by the party’s leadership, currently controlled by their rival faction.

“If the candidate selection committee does not explain the reasons we aren’t chosen, we will have to make up our minds and take action,” Rep. Shin Ji-ho said before the scheduled gathering.

Rep. Shin, representing a constituency in northeastern Seoul, is among the five whose re-election bid is likely to be killed by party leaders in the name of “strategic nomination.”

By action, he said he meant a coalition of independent candidates denied by Saenuri, or going one step further, the creation of a new party.

“Joining K-Party is among the options,” he said, referring to a fledgling political party led by conservative scholar and politician Park Se-il.

Rep. Lee Jae-oh, who virtually leads the pro-Lee faction, threw his weight behind the move, urging party chiefs to disclose the criteria used to evaluate the competitiveness and qualifications of fellow pro-Lee members denied party tickets.

“Whatever data has been used, it should not be kept secret as if it is a weapon for political assassination of opponents,” he tweeted.

“If the selection was really fair, (the data) should be provided to the unsuccessful applicant so that he or she could at least know why he or she failed,” he added.

Saenuri’s secretary general Rep. Kwon Young-se flatly rejected the demand, saying candidates are being selected through a proper and fair process.

“The decisions are the results of long and deep discussions about who could help our party win the April election. Factional identity is not a factor,” he said.

Saenuri plans to announce its candidates for its Yeongnam region on Wednesday.

The main opposition DUP unveiled 13 candidates who will stand in the April 11 election in constituencies in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. The party had a day earlier eliminated six of its sitting lawmakers from the Honam region, including Rep. Choi In-kee.

All six demanded the party reconsider their elimination from the race.

Rep. Choi said he would run as an independent, if the party does not reverse its decision.

Former Rep. Han Kwang-ok, who last week left the party and declared an independent run in a constituency of Gwanak in Seoul, said he was contacting the six incumbents to form a united front of DUP defectors in the election.

Meanwhile, DUP leader Han Myeong-sook agreed with Rep. Lee Jun-hee, leader of the far-left United Progressive Party to conclude coalition talks by Thursday.

The liberal opposition has been trying to unite against the Saenuri to retake control of the parliament in the upcoming election and the next presidency in a vote at the end of the year.

By Lee Sun-young (milaya@heraldcorp.com)