Party chairwoman hints at resignation over defeat in general elections


The competition for presidential nomination is likely to intensify in the main opposition Democratic United Party as it looks to recover from an embarrassing defeat in the general election.

While the DUP has several presidential hopefuls, none are deemed strong enough yet to compete against the ruling Saenuri Party’s leader Park Geun-hye, who cemented her status with Wednesday’s upset win.

With only eight months remaining till the presidential election, the DUP faces the challenge of broadening its public support as well as overcoming a potential factional melee over the electoral failure, political watchers said.

As internal strife intensified over who is to blame for the electoral defeat, DUP chairwoman Han Myeong-sook on Thursday hinted at her resignation by telling reporters that she will be making an official statement on Friday.

In order for the DUP to spring back from the crushing defeat, the party must make fundamental changes soon, analysts said.

“In politics, it goes without saying that if you lose (the votes of) moderates, you simply cannot win,” said political science professor Kim Meen-jeon of Kyung Hee University.

The DUP needs to widen its ideological spectrum to one that could reach voters beyond 20- and 30-somethings, and introduce a policy platform that goes beyond mere ‘judgment of the President Lee Myung-bak administration.’”

Possible presidential hopefuls from the DUP at the moment include Busan constituency winner Moon Jae-in and former Gyeonggi Province Gov. Sohn Hak-kyu. South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Doo-kwan is also considered as a potential candidate.

Another key figure in the dynamics of potential presidential hopefuls is software guru-turned-Seoul National University dean Ahn Cheol-soo. Ahn has never admitted his interest in running for president but showed his support for two DUP candidates in the general election. Ahn also hinted at taking a step into politics while speaking at Seoul National University last month by saying that he could handle politics if it would bring positive changes in the society.

But the chances of Ahn joining the main opposition party had slimmed following the DUP’s electoral defeat, analysts said.

Moon Jae-in, in the meantime, faces the challenge of defending his leadership skills upon the DUP’s failure to grab more than two seats in the conservative stronghold of Busan and South Gyeongsang Province.

A close friend and former chief-of-staff for the late President Roh, Moon is one of the key members of the pro-Roh faction, which now faces growing calls within the party to take responsibility for the electoral defeat.

Critics point out to Moon’s lack of political experience as his weakest point, as the lawyer-turned-politician makes his debut in politics by joining the 19th National Assembly. Moon has been considered a potential presidential candidate since last year when he joined the then-Democratic Party, the precursor to the DUP, and helped with the by-elections campaign in April.

Sohn, for his part, stood out of the parliamentary race this time and instead focused on helping other DUP members in their campaigns. The former chairman of Democratic Party is likely make his move back into the party’s mainstream, encouraged by the opposition party’s relative success in the metropolitan constituencies.

Kim Doo-kwan, nicknamed “Little Roh Moo-hyun” is considered a “wild card” for the DUP should Moon not be considered enough to compete against Saenuri.

“It remains to be seen how they will compete and how they will go about creating a single candidate for presidency,” a DUP official was quoted as saying in news reports.

In the meantime, political watchers said the April 11 crush is not all bad-news for the DUP and other opposition forces, as Saenuri’s capturing of another majority in the National Assembly will elevate the public’s tendency to keep the majority ruling camp in check. The DUP’s win in most Seoul and Gyeonggi constituencies also show the party’s potential to win in the upcoming race, they said.

By Lee Joo-hee (jhl@heraldcorp.com)