Saenuri lawmakers denied candidacy decide to stay


Escalating moves to divide the country’s political conservatives have apparently been reined in as a key legislator of the ruling Saenuri Party on Monday decided not to quit the party despite being denied candidacy for the upcoming general elections.

Fourth-term lawmaker Kim Moo-sung had been expected to leave the party to protest what he called the “unfair, biased” nomination process. But he decided to remain so as not to become a “nucleus of the conservatives’ division.”

A series of lawmakers, particularly those loyal to President Lee Myung-bak, have failed to get party nomination. They said the nomination was carried out largely in favor of those closely affiliated with party leader Park Geun-hye.

Calling the party’s decision against them a “massacre,” some have already bolted from the party and considered running as independents, joining another party or seeking to create a new conservative party.

Observers said that the cracks in the party would divide the conservative vote and swing the political pendulum toward the major opposition parties, which have already formed a comprehensive, strategic alliance to boost their electoral chances.

Mindful of this, Rep. Kim made the decision to keep his Saenri affiliation, stressing that he cannot allow the left-wingers seeking to reverse key national projects such as the Korea-U.S. free trade pact to take the helm of the country.

Kim was a key loyalist to party leader Park. But he has become estranged from her because of clashes over some contentious issues including the plan to relocate two-thirds of administration departments to Sejong City in South Chungcheong Province.

After Kim’s announcement, several others excluded from the nomination list followed suit.

Lee Kyeong-jae, another Saenuri fourth-term lawmaker, decided to remain in the party though he failed to win nomination.

Lee said that creating a new party would further worsen the split and damage conservative values, saying that a new party would be an “assembly of political wanderers.”

Lee Dong-kwan, former senior presidential secretary for public affairs, also decided to remain in the party despite his failure to get nomination.

Amid the split among the conservatives, keen attention has been drawn to what political steps Chung Un-chan, former prime minister who now heads the Commission on Shared Growth for Large and Small Companies, will take.

Chung was once mentioned as one of the strong presidential contenders. To capitalize on his political allure, those who have bolted from the party to form a new conservative force have contacted Chung.

Park Se-il, head of the Korea Vision Party, has also wooed him to bolster the political standing of the fledgling party that was established last month with a view to embracing “reform-minded conservatives and reasonable liberals.”

However, earlier this week, Chung told reporters that he has not thought of joining the KVP or any alliance of those who quit the Saenuri Party. He also said that he would not run in the parliamentary elections.

Chung’s decision apparently dimmed KVP leader Park’s hope to secure a firm footing in the National Assembly. Some conservatives have criticized his party for deepening the division in the conservative bloc.

Park’s party has sought to become a formal parliamentary negotiating group that should have at least 20 legislators by attracting high-profile lawmakers from the ruling party and merge with the conservative minority Liberty Forward Party with 15 lawmakers.

Apparently adding to Park’s woes, LFP chief Rep. Sim Dae-pyung said that there have been no official discussions about the merge between the KVP and the LFP.

“There has been no official discussion about it. I think Park has considered it by himself within his party ahead of the general elections,” Shim said in a radio interview.

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)