A senior lawmaker of the main opposition party bowed out of its decision-making Supreme Council on Friday, urging the party leadership to resign en masse to take responsibility for its electoral debacle late last month.

The resignation of Rep. Joo Seung-yong dealt yet another blow to the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, which has been faltering under deepening factional infighting that was aggravated by the party’s defeats in parliamentary by-elections on April 29.

His decision to step down appeared intended, in part, to express his discomfort over NPAD Chair Rep. Moon Jae-in. Joo has accused Moon of “favoritism and incompetence.”

Joo’s resignation will likely worsen tension among the NPAD’s multiple factions, observers said, as Moon and Joo are senior members of the party’s opposing groups. 

“All of us in the Supreme Council must resign. We must take responsibility for last week’s election losses,” he told reporters. “Not taking responsibility for the defeats is another form of factionalism, favoritism, and unfairness.”

The governing Saenuri Party trounced the NPAD last week, winning three of the four contested districts in the parliamentary by-elections. The NPAD failed to win a seat, losing to an independent in Gwangju, a city long considered an NPAD stronghold.

Joo has accused Moon of favoritism toward the pro-Rohs, the leading faction within the NPAD, named after the late ex-President Roh Moo-hyun. Moon served as the presidential chief of staff for Roh.

Joo is a member of the non-Rohs, a coalition of NPAD lawmakers who blame the pro-Rohs for the party’s falling approval ratings and last week’s election losses.

They said Moon was politically incompetent as he had failed to win an election that was projected as an assured NPAD win due to the escalating graft allegations against some senior officials of the ruling bloc, who are suspected of taking bribes from a deceased construction mogul.

“Continuing work under current conditions mean we will fail to win the general elections and the presidential election,” Joo said.

South Korea holds nationwide parliamentary polls next year and a presidential race in 2017.

“The citizens of our country and members of our party have asked for an explanation on the pro-Roh’s domination of our party,” Joo said. “The pro-Rohs have given none. I hence resign from the Supreme Council.”

Joo’s comments Friday came after a verbal fight with Rep. Jung Cheong-rae, an outspoken pro-Roh lawmaker.

“Threatening to resign, while not resigning, is the same as blackmailing,” Jung said of Joo.

“I have blackmailed no one. I have, on multiple occasions, restrained from responding to Rep. Jung’s online criticism against me,” Joo said in response.

By Jeong Hunny (hj257@heraldcorp.com)