Chung, Lee withdraw from ruling party’s primary race


Reps. Chung Mong-joon and Lee Jae-oh of the ruling Saenuri Party lashed out at presidential frontrunner Park Geun-hye for monopolizing partisan power as they declared they will drop out of the race in protest over the leadership’s refusal to change the primary rules.

“Participating in the party’s primary at this point is the same as condoning and abetting the party’s return to authoritarianism, and therefore I will not be running in the primary,” Chung Mong-joon said at a press conference, apparently rebuking Park who shunned the minor candidates’ demand to introduce a fully open primary for the party’s preliminary race.

“It is a situation where the partisan dictatorship is being embellished and praised despite how it has been four and a half decades since democratization in 1987,” Chung said of Park, who is facing criticism from opponents for being the daughter of former President Park Chung-hee, head of a dictatorship in the 1960s and 70s.

Earlier in the day, fifth-term lawmaker Rep. Lee Jae-oh also lambasted Park and the leadership as he withdrew from the primary.

“A different kind of leadership must be that of communication and harmony, and it must be a leadership that can gather the people’s wishes through adjustment and reconciliation instead of through division,” Lee said.

“The party must humbly reflect upon itself whether they can earn the trust of citizens at this point, and gain enough public support to carry out the next administration,” Lee added.

Lee and Chung, along with Gyeonggi Governor Kim Moon-soo of the ruling party have been demanding the party introduce a fully open primary to elevate public participation in the run up to the Dec. 19 presidential election.

Kim Moon-soo is yet to decide on whether to continue running for candidacy.

The widely pro-Park leadership eventually denied their demands and went ahead with forming the party’s election schedule in accordance with existing regulations and maintained the size of electoral college at 201,320.

The party currently decides its presidential candidate by 50 percent of votes by party delegates and members, and another 50 percent by citizens’ votes and public surveys.

“I will continue to take my dignified steps to confront the forces that damage partisan democracy no matter what kinds of difficulties that I may face,” Chung said.

Chung and Lee have been the firsts to declare their presidential bids in April and May, respectively, but have been suffering from low support ratings of one-digit.

Observers said the pair’s withdrawal will fall short of drastically changing the current support ratings of the remaining presidential hopefuls, but will have a noteworthy impact on the Saenuri Party’s primary.

“Because primary is also an opportunity to expose the party’s final candidate and raise his/her competitiveness through competition among diverse candidates, the withdrawal of those who have been strongly challenging the frontrunner will hurt the box-office value of the primary,” said Yoon Hee-woong, director of the research and analysis department of the Korea Society Opinion Institute.

On the other hand, Yoon added the conservative votes that had gone to Lee and Chung could also direct toward Park.

Park has been enjoying a sturdy lead above her opponents from both in and outside the party in various public polls.

In the meantime, the main opposition Democratic United Party’s former presidential candidate Chung Dong-young declared he will not be competing for the party’s candidacy this time, saying he will take a back seat instead and support the party win the next administration.

“I have disappointed citizens by failing in the presidential bid five years ago,” Chung said. “I will exert my all (efforts) to achieve the administrative power change (in the upcoming presidential election).”

There are currently a handful of DUP presidential hopefuls fast trailing Park, including former presidential chief-of-staff Moon Jae-in and former South Gyeongsang Gov. Kim Doo-kwan, who are running on support bases in Gyeongsang Province.

“With Chung Dong-young ― who had been one of the key members with support from Jeolla Province ― out of the race, the key would be where these Jeolla votes will head toward,” Yoon said. Jeolla Province is the traditional stronghold of the DUP.

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