A taped telephone conversation between top lawmakers from the ruling party’s mainstream faction and a former lawmaker has sparked controversy over suspected influence-peddling during the party’s nomination for the April general election.

According to the leaked conversation reported by local media on Monday, Reps. Choi Kyung-hwan and Yoon Sang-hyun -- who lead the faction close to President Park Geun-hye -- demanded a fellow member to change his constituency citing it is the president‘s intent.

The two, in return, reportedly assured the politician that the pro-Park faction would support him during the party’s nomination process. The politician in question is believed to be Kim Sung-hoe, who served as a lawmaker between 2008 and 2012. Kim accepted the proposal, but failed to be nominated.

Saenuri leadership quickly came to the fore on Tuesday, condemning any attempt by members without authority in meddling with the party’s executive affairs.

“They are cats acting like lions who rely on the president’s name,” said the Saenuri Party’s floor leader Rep. Chung Jin-suk. “It is a significant violation that damages the party. Those who are involved with the nomination process without the right to do so should take time off and apologize to the people,” he said.

The burgeoning scandal also prompted outrage among lawmakers who have been at odds with the pro-Park faction. The non-Parks planning to run for the leadership post in the Aug. 8 national convention were the most vocal.

Third-term lawmaker Rep. Kim Yong-tae, who plans to run for the party’s top post, urged the Saenuri leadership to file a charge against Yoon and Choi for engaging in irregularities and demanded President Park clarify her positon toward what he called the “rigged” nomination process.

Fourth-term lawmaker Rep. Joo Ho-young, who is also considering a bid for the chairmanship, agreed, “Those so-called power brokers have blackmailed to prevent their members from running in the elections,” said Joo who had defected from the party in April to protest against his nomination drop, and returned after the election.

Meanwhile, the most senior member of the pro-Park faction Rep. Seo Chung-won on Tuesday decided not to run for the next party chairman. He had been widely speculated to join the race in place of Choi, who had earlier withdrawn his plan to run. The ongoing controversy surrounding the Park loyalists, as well as Seo’s retreat, is expected to further heat up the race by dispersing the votes of pro-Park members, observers said.

The 73-year-old lawmaker is also being implicated in the nomination controversy, as his name was mentioned significantly in the leaked conversation. Rep. Lee Woo-hyun, one of Seo’s close aides, denounced the leak as an “act of cowardice” engineered to torpedo Seo’s bid for the top post.

Throughout the conversation, Choi and Yoon were seen forcing Kim to change his constituency to avoid a showdown with Seo in the April election. The constituency from which Kim Sung-hoe withdrew is that of Seo who was elected there two terms in a row.

“Sure, Sure, Sure. We’ll definitely help you (get elected),” Choi reportedly said when asked by Kim whether the proposal reflects the intent of President Park. “You’d better take my advice. If you push things too hard, you would get nothing,” he said.

Choi’s phone call was said to be preceded by Yoon’s, according to the report. Referring to Kim with the endearing term “brother,” the former presidential aide warned against Kim’s plan to run in Seo’s constituency.

“Brother, I know how the president thinks. This is not the place to run,” Yoon said. “Be careful brother. You ask me about how the president thinks and I told you (what she thought). I guaranteed your nomination. We can make it happen using the pro-Park campaign,” he said.

It is not the first time that Yoon has been implicated in a political scandal.

In March, Yoon said he would “get rid of” then-party leader Rep. Kim Moo-sung to block his attempt to sway the nomination process in his favor. He was then kicked out of the party until he returned after winning the latest election. 

Upon the revelation, both Choi and Yoon have canceled their public schedules and remained silent.

Choi, who was supposed to begin his travels to the U.K. and other European nations, canceled his trip. Yoon was absent from the party’s regular meeting and parliamentary sessions. Their aides said that the lawmakers were tending to their private schedules.

By Yeo Jun-suk (jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)