A four-term lawmaker was named the new floor leader of the ruling Saenuri Party on Tuesday as the party tries to put a new leadership team in place ahead of next year's general elections.
Rep. Won Yoo-chul, a political heavyweight representing Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province, won the race as the only candidate.
Won's running mate, three-term lawmaker Kim Jung-hoon, will serve as the party's chief policymaker.
Won replaces Yoo Seung-min, who resigned from his post last week after accepting the party's recommendation that he do so.
The resignation came two weeks after President Park Geun-hye publicly lambasted Yoo for leading negotiations with the main opposition party on the passage of a parliamentary revision bill, which she vetoed citing its unconstitutionality.
"The future of the Saenuri Party and Republic of Korea (South Korea) will be able to succeed only when the Park Geun-hye administration succeeds," Won said in his acceptance speech at a meeting of party lawmakers.
Kim added that supporting the Park administration is important in winning the general elections slated for April 2016.
A political feud between Park and former floor leader Yoo triggered party chief Kim Moo-sung, who has one more year remaining in his term as of Tuesday, to attempt to reunite the party.
According to a poll by Gallup Korea, Park's approval rating inched down to 32 percent last week from 34 percent a week earlier amid the row within the ruling camp. (Yonhap)
