Park’s challengers insist candidate selection rules be revised


The ruling Saenuri Party decided to keep its current presidential candidate selection rules but check for flaws in the processes, despite criticism from underdog figures.

During the party’s two-day workshop over the weekend, chairperson Rep. Hwang Woo-yea said that the primary schedule should proceed as planned as there is little time left.

“We should first kick off the in-party primary according to the party platform and regulations,” said Hwang.

“If we spend a month or so on the primary discussion and end up with little conclusion, the leadership will have to take the blame and the party will be left in peril.”

Hwang thus pledged to meet other (non-Park) candidates to reach a consensus on the controversial issue.

Though he left some room for further discussion, the party chief’s decision was in fact a turndown on the call for a complete open primary process.

Reps. Chung Mong-joon and Lee Jae-oh, together with Gyeonggi Governor Kim Moon-soo, earlier demanded that an open primary system be introduced and hinted at the possibility of boycotting the primary if necessary.

Under the current system, candidate selection is based on a 50 percent vote from party members and the other half from non-party citizens.

The rule is regarded to be favorable to former party chairwoman Park Geun-hye, who enjoys dominant support from within the camp.

Park and her aides opposed the suggested change, claiming that it may cause excessive financial burden on the party and also the risk of “reverse selection” by opposition voters.

The non-Park trio set on a boycotting campaign against the leadership’s decision.

“Kim, Lee and Chung will register themselves as presidential candidates, only after the party confirms the open primary rule,” their delegates said in a joint press conference on Sunday.

Their resistance is to act as a threat to the party as it plans to involve as many star figures as possible in the primary, in an aim to draw the attention of the general public and political circles.

The three also questioned the party chief’s factional neutrality and pledged not to communicate with him unless a valid solution is offered.

“It has always been a democratic custom for the party to discuss the primary process with the candidates,” the delegates said.

“By refusing to communicate further, the leadership is effectively upholding a specific candidate.”

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