Leaders refuse reformists’ call for drastic reshuffle of party and campaigners


The ruling Saenuri Party’s leaders and presidential nominee were struggling Friday to contain an internal feud fanned by reformists’ call for a drastic reshuffle of the party organs.

The party’s leadership panel urged unity and harmony, effectively turning down the demand for personnel changes.

“It is not feasible to demand (that the leadership resign en masse),” party chairperson Rep. Hwang Woo-yea told reporters after an emergency Supreme Council meeting.

“I nevertheless perceived the cordiality (of those who asked for the reshuffle) and will reflect their intention (to the party’s election blueprint).”

Secretary-General Suh Byung-soo, too, claimed that the party should first achieve unity in order to face the big year-end race.

Their stance largely reflected that of the presidential candidate Rep. Park Geun-hye, who displayed her reluctance toward drastic organizational changes.

“It is now time to work together for the upcoming election,” she told reporters late on Thursday.

Reps. Yoo Seong-min and Nam Kyung-pil, both vice chairpersons of the party’s election committee, earlier criticized the pro-Park clique that occupies key posts in the party and its election body.

“In order to win back the public’s trust, we need to revamp the election camp and replace the current human resource pool,” Nam said in a radio interview on Thursday.

Amid the heightening conflicts, however, both Yoo and Nam took a step back on Friday, which was also the first day of the parliamentary inspection of government offices.

“The issue requires further contemplation,” Nam said, after Friday’s council meeting.

The Park faction and the reformists thus seemed to call a truce, but the party was faced with other hurdles, especially over its slogan of economic democratization.

“The Saenuri Party is not willing to achieve economic democratization, nor is it interested in the concept,” said Kim Chong-in, chairperson of the party’s Special Committee on People’s Happiness.

The economist-turned-politician played a crucial role in introducing the term economic democratization in the constitution and has been designing Park’s economic policies since joining the party.

He has, however, come into intense conflict over the issue with several party officials, especially with floor leader Rep. Lee Hahn-koo who was skeptical over the concept.

The party was slated to confirm its detailed economic policies by Thursday but delayed the talks until after the parliamentary inspection, having failed to reach a consensus in time.

“I am not the kind of person to work in such an ambiguous situation,” Kim said, alluding to a possible break with the party.

Should the economic strategist storm out of the struggling ruling party, Rep. Park is expected to face additional obstacles in her presidential competition against Rep. Moon Jae-in of the main opposition Democratic United Party and independent candidate Ahn Cheol-soo.

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