Former lawmakers Han Gwang-ok and Kim Sung-sik are making waves in the closely contested presidential race, having chosen to side with candidates with whom they have had little connection or common ground.

On Friday, Han joined the campaign of Saenuri Party presidential candidate Park Geun-hye, saying that the move was in accordance with late President Kim Dae-jung’s wishes to “unify the public.”

Although politicians switching sides is a common occurrence in Korea, Han’s move is perceived as being one of the most dramatic due to his deep-running connection to late former President Kim Dae-jung that goes back to the Donggyo-dong faction ― the group of Kim Dae-jung supporters within the proto-political organization established in 1984 in collaboration with former President Kim Young-sam. 

While Han claims to have been motivated by a higher goal, pundits say that the move is likely to be part of a ploy from Park’s camp to gain votes from the Jeolla provinces, a region with traditionally little support for conservatives.

In comparison, Kim Sung-sik’s move from the Saenuri Party to independent candidate Ahn Cheol-soo’s camp is a far less drastic political shift and appears to be motivated more by his beliefs than political maneuvering.

Kim, unlike Han, does not have a deep-rooted connection to his former political turf.

Kim started his career at the moderate umbrella union, the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, and his association with the ruling party began as an aide of Sohn Hak-kyu, who long ago moved to the opposition party.

Kim stayed behind, but he maintained a comparatively progressive stance and called for an extensive reform within the party during the process of renaming the Grand National Party as the Saenuri Party.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)