Park, Moon name key members, Ahn pays respects to late Roh


The control towers for the three major candidates’ campaigns are starting to take shape as the presidential race shifts gears into a full-fledged battle of election pledges.

The three are aiming to illustrate their philosophies and visions through the lineup. In operating the campaign offices, Rep. Park Geun-hye of the ruling Saenuri Party is emphasizing unity, Rep. Moon Jae-in of the main opposition Democratic United Party horizontal teamwork, while independent Ahn Cheol-soo touts openness.

Park announced Wednesday some of the key members of the Central Election Committee that will spearhead the nationwide campaign and promote pledges drawn-up by the thinks tanks and the planning teams. The focus was seen to be on encompassing reformative and non-Park members.

The party created a new team of honorary representatives, who will play a role similar to a chairman but contribute more independently to the campaign. The members include floor leader Rep. Lee Hahn-koo, former floor leader Kim Moo-sung and three former presidential primary candidates Ahn Sang-soo, Yim Tae-hee and Rep. Kim Tae-ho.

“(Gyeonggi Gov.) Kim Moon-soo also expressed willingness to play a role if it would not violate the relevant elections law,” Rep. Lee Ju-Young, head of the planning team, said in a press conference.

The standout designations were of three-term lawmaker Yoo Seong-min and five-term lawmaker Nam Kyung-pil as the committee’s vice chairmen. Yoo had been Park’s close confidant and helped her in the 2007 primary. But the two had a falling out over several key issues such as Sejong City. Nam leads the party’s reformative members and has often butted heads with the leadership with his progressive stance.

Secretary-general Rep. Suh Byung-soo was named the head of the election headquarters that will supervise the committee’s management under the chairman. Former lawmaker Kwon Young-se, who had worked closely with Park in the general elections, was named head of the situation room.

Park will take more time to name the committee’s chairman to co-lead the committee with the party’s chairman Rep. Hwang Woo-yea, party officials explained.

Park, having delivering an apology to the victims of her father former President Park Chung-hee’s rule on Monday, is to focus on reinvigorate her campaign hit by a series of scandals and debate over her historical perception, observers said.

Rep. Rhee Mok-hee was named to head the planning division of the election committee, and Rep. Jun Byung-hun, the manifesto team.

Moon, meanwhile, designated former environment minister Yoon Yeo-joon to spearhead his “Committee to Pursue People’s Unity” under the central election committee.

Moon is set on forming an election committee that will become the melting pot of all factions to work on a horizontal level. The former presidential chief-of-staff is also determined to shed his image of strongly associated with late President Roh Moo-hyun.

“All 128 members of the DUP must take part in the election committee,” Moon said during the being party’s workshop late Tuesday.

The “Minjoo (Democracy) Camp” under the election committee will oversee the organizational activities, while the “Future Camp” will be a network of experts on policies and agendas. The “Citizens’ Camp” will be of citizens working on- and offline.

The DUP’s presidential candidate Rep. Moon Jae-in is also fastening his pace to launch an external body to advise him on economic policies.

The 20-member group will work as a think tank on economic policies and work closely with each division of the “Future Camp,” that is the policy arm of the party’s main election committee.

The members are said to include: former Bank of Korea governor Park Seung on macroeconomics; Korea University chair professor Park Young-cheol on finance; former Ewha Womans University president Shin In-ryung on labor; and former president of the Korea Economic Research Institute Noh Sung-tae on industries.

Ahn, on his part, is forming a slightly different form of an election committee, by creating around 10 different teams under former lawmaker Park Sun-sook, the director of the election headquarters. The team, much smaller in size compared to other candidates, will be on policy planning, strategizing, messages, schedule planning and others.

Sources from Ahn’s camp said the compact formation will enable swift and accurate decision-making processes. To emphasize on being opened, any supporters who wish to participate will be able to do so such as through social networking services, the sources said.

The former professor will also continue to host forums inviting experts to discuss economy and political reform to base his pledges on. The political innovation forum, for instance, will aim to productively combine partisan politics with citizen politics.

Ahn, meanwhile, reached out to his native Gyeongsang Province on Wednesday by visiting the gravesite of Roh and paid a visit to his widow former first lady Kwon Yang-sook in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province.

“He truly loved people. I will not forget such sincerity of one’s mind,” Ahn wrote in the visitor’s book.

Latest polls by Research & Research showed neck-and-neck race among the three, with Park leading at 37 percent, followed by Ahn with 29.6 percent and Moon with 20 percent.

In a two-way race, Ahn beat Park 48.6 percent to 40.6 percent, while Park was ahead of Moon 45.2 percent to 42.8 percent.

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