With the Saenuri Party losing its majority in the 19th National Assembly, attention is becoming focused on whether the party will be able to win support from a minor conservative party and unaffiliated lawmakers to exert control in the assembly.

Following allegations of plagiarism and attempted sexual assault two Saenuri Party lawmakers-elect ― Kim Hyung-tae and Moon Dae-sung ― left the party, reducing the party’s seats to 150 from 152 in the 300-member 19th National Assembly.

In addition, with calls for the party leadership to take responsibility for the setbacks, Saenuri’s interim leader Park Geun-hye faces trying times in the run up to the May 15 party convention, where new leadership will be elected.

Kim is accused of having attempted to sexually assault the widow of his younger brother in 2002, while Moon was found to have heavily plagiarized his doctoral thesis.

“(The leadership) is busy making the defection issue into one of a personal matter of Kim Hyung-tae and Moon Dae-sung, and nobody has acknowledged that the nominations were wrong,” Rep. Chang Je-won told a local radio station. Chang is affiliated with the group within the Saenuri Party with close ties to President Lee Myung-bak.

“In a responsible political party, an apology from the leadership would have come first.”

Concerns that related matters were mishandled by the party’s leadership have also risen from Park’s supporters.

“The right way would have been to cut out both Kim Hyung-tae and Moon Dae-sung when the issue arose after the nominations,” Rep. Yoo Seung-min, a known supporter of Park, said in a recent interview.

“Problems arose in decision-making as Park was not provided with good counsel, and was not told diverse opinions.”

While Park’s support base within the party weakens, the opposition parties have turned up the heat.

Saying that Moon needs to give up his seat in the National Assembly, the main opposition Democratic United Party called on Park to take responsibility.

“Saenuri Party and Park should take responsibility for the nominations that were shoddy, pro-Park and driven by selfish interests, and for Moon’s resignation as a member of the National Assembly,” DUP spokesman Park Yong-jin said on Friday.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)