Former Constitutional Court president, female CEO named co-chairs


Rep. Park Geun-hye, presidential candidate of the ruling Saenuri Party, on Thursday finalized her campaign team, overcoming the in-party disarray that had bogged down her rally on reform and unity.

The former chairwoman named Kim Yong-jun, former Constitutional Court president, along with renowned CEO Kim Sung-joo, Rep. Chung Mong-joon and chairman Rep. Hwang Woo-yea as the four co-chairs of her central election committee.

Park herself will be heading the Pledge Committee aimed to oversee the implementation of the candidate’s policy promises.

Former opposition Democratic United Party leader Han Gwang-ok, who was at the center of the personnel controversy, was renamed senior vice-chairman of the People’s Unity Committee, which will be chaired by Park herself. Former lawmaker Kim Moo-sung was named general manager of the election headquarters.

“What we have left to do now is to act (on our pledges),” Park said at a press conference.

“As long as we agree on the fact that political reform and unity must go hand-in-hand, we must no longer show the people that we’ve fallen into confusion.”

It was a hard past week for Park as she faced growing internal calls to reshuffle her key aides for the sake of wider reform. Her key campaign managers including Kim Chong-in, head of the Committee to Pursue People’s Happiness, and Ahn Dai-hee, head of her Political Reform Committee, had boycotted on the account of her controversial choices of aides.

“Just as how a house cannot be built on cracked land, we can only pedal vigorously toward the future when we heal the division,” Park said.

Upon the final formation of her campaign team, Park is expected to pick up her campaign highlighting economic democratization and integration among people.

It took weeks of painstaking brainstorming for Park to come up with the final list of her key campaigners that could both underscore her touted visions and satisfy the dissidents’ appetency.

Kim Yong-jun, a judge since the authoritarian rule of Park’s father, former President Park Chung-hee, is considered a telling card for the former chairwoman to highlight her intention to integrate.

As the first disabled Supreme Court justice in South Korea, Kim is known for sticking by strong principles in delivering his rulings.

Kim was born and raised in Seoul, and began his legal service as the judge for the Daegu District Court in 1960. He served in various posts until he retired from the Supreme Court in 1994. The same year, he was named the second president of the Constitutional Court and served in the post until 2000.

Kim Sung-joo, hailing from Park’s constituency of Daegu, is a renowned CEO who has devoted over 20 years of her career to the fashion industry. A founder of Sungjoo Group that consists of Sungjoo International Ltd., Sungjoo Merchandising Inc. and Sungjoo Design Tech & Distribution Inc., she also heads MCM Products AG.

Praised for her achievements by successfully launching globally renowned brands and acquiring exclusive franchise rights for Korea, Kim is also known for her emphasis on corporate social responsibility. She was named one of the “Top 50 Women to Watch” by the Wall Street Journal in 2004. Park’s appointment of Kim was also viewed as her attempt to lure women voters.

“Kim Sung-joo is someone that holds a stern belief that a country can advance when women actively participate in the society,” Park said.

“Just the fact that Kim Yong-jun came to the (Saenuri Party) shows the party’s intention to achieve our precious value and maintain the constitutionalism and the principle,” Park added of her choice.

The participation of her former rival Chung Mong-joon was considered her emphasis on harmony. The recruitment came after repeated persuasion by both Park herself and her newly named general manager Kim Moo-sung.

Hwang Woo-yea, meanwhile, joins the committee automatically as the party’s chairman.

Former lawmaker Park Sun-young, an avid activist for North Korea’s human rights, was named Park’s special advisor on North Korean affairs. Former Army Chief of Staff Nam Jae-joon was appointed Park’s special advisor on defense, and former ambassador Kim Young-mok for foreign affairs.

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