UPP co-leader Lee steps ups criticism of fact-finding panel


Internal strife continued in the minority left-wing Unified Progressive Party as Lee Jung-hee, one of the co-chairs and leader of the party mainstream attacked the fact-finding committee.

She also infuriated liberal circles by comparing the party’s feud to the prosecutorial probe which allegedly drove former President Roh Moo-hyun to his death in 2009.

Lee’s reference to Roh especially incensed Ryu Si-min, another co-chair of the party and right-hand man of the deceased president.

“I shall, of course, take full responsibility for any irregularity during the election process,” Lee said through her Facebook late on Monday.

“I cannot, however, leave my colleagues facing the unjust accusations and will stay with them (in the party) to find out the truth.”

Lee demanded earlier that a public hearing be held Tuesday to review the report by the party’s fact-finding committee, but none of the committee members or the dissenters participated.

Lee, along with the party’s mainstream faction known as the National Liberation group, has denied the vote-rigging allegations for the proportional representatives to maintain her faction’s long-held majority within the party.

“I remember how former President Roh was blasted by the prosecution and the media,” Lee told Ryu Monday, during a party meeting.

“It would have been easy to go along the majority opinion but I refused to believe in any of the accusations placed against him.”

Lee’s words immediately sparked a backlash not only from the Roh aide but also from other party members and liberal civic groups.

“The party’s current crisis was caused by the internal breach of democratic rules, not by attacks from outside,” Ryu said.

Another party official also reproached Lee for abusing the name of the deceased president to protect her factional members and avoid taking responsibility for election irregularities.

The growing fissures in the UPP largely left its political partner DUP in a dilemma, especially with the presidential race slated for the end of the year.

“The UPP’s vote-rigging scandal is not likely to end very soon,” said Rep. Park Jie-won, DUP floor leader and interim chairperson in a radio interview Tuesday.

“We are to form unity with the UPP for the December race and only hope for the best results.”

He nevertheless remained prudent and refrained from speaking out further on the controversial topic.

On the other hand, the ruling Saenuri Party’s decision-making body spokesperson Lee Sang-il, issued a statement to censure the UPP for its ongoing feud and the DUP for allying with the UPP.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)