With the ruling Saenuri Party’s presidential candidate Rep. Park Geun-hye languishing in opinion polls, reformist members called for a major reshuffle, demanding that pro-Park figures take a step back from the election front lines.

In a closed-door meeting of the party’s lawmakers Thursday, Yoo Seong-min, vice chairman of the election committee, demanded the resignation of all leading members of the party organization and the campaign office.

“The party should leave all options open including the re-organization of the election committee and let the candidate decide on everything,” the three-term lawmaker was quoted as saying.

Earlier in the day, Rep. Nam Kyung-pil, another vice chairperson of the committee and a reform-minded lawmaker, also sharply criticized the pro-Park clique that occupies key posts in the party and campaign organizations.

“Many people have turned their back on the Saenuri Party because of their ill feelings toward some of her current aides, not Rep. Park herself,” the five-term lawmaker said in a radio interview.

“In order to win back the public’s trust and to break through this stagnancy, we need to revamp the election camp and replace the current human resource pool.”

The right-wing candidate’s polls took an upturn this week, but she is still behind independent candidate Ahn Cheol-soo in a two-way matchup and neck-and-neck with Moon Jae-in of the main opposition Democratic United Party.

“The so-called pro-Park faction needs to step away from Rep. Park and give her some space to contemplate the situation and seek change,” he said.

Nam alluded to the presidential candidate’s top aides such as her chief secretary Rep. Choi Kyung-hwan and the party’s secretary-general Rep. Suh Byung-soo.

Many pro-Park members dismissed the suggestion and claimed a sudden shake-up might only fracture the party ahead of the crucial election.

But some in the faction were supportive of the proposed reshuffle.

“Many party members are feeling excluded from the mainstream and need to be given a role in the election campaign,” said Rep. Chung Woo-taik in the Supreme Council meeting on Thursday.

Chung attributed the division to the lack of communication between the election committee and the party’s decision-making body.

Election operation chief Kwon Young-se, too, agreed that the party’s engine room might need some changes.

“Rep. Park has often been burdened by the misdeeds of the party and of her aides,” he said on Wednesday.

“Current officials need to step back and give way to other capable figures if so required, for the sake of the party’s election victory.”

Kwon, however, stressed that the reshuffle should purely be based on political ability, expressing concern over the growing in-party antipathy against the pro-Park faction.

The candidate has not yet spoken on the issue but her public communications chief and closest confidant Lee Jung-hyun flatly rejected Nam’s stance.

“The few so-called pro-Park members have no time to spare on such political games as they are pouring their energy into the ongoing election plans,” Lee said in a radio interview on Thursday.

“Instead of raising doubts about one another, we should work together to promote our commons value and to win in the race.”

He also added that young, energetic reformists such as Nam should step out further and offer help to Park’s election panel.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)