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| Liberty Korea Party (LKP) Chairman Hong Joon-pyo, fifth from left, and other party members pose with lawmakers who have rejoined the LKP after leaving the Bareun Party, at the LKP head office in Seoul, Thursday. / Yonhap |
By Choi Ha-young
Eight of nine lawmakers who bolted from the minor conservative Bareun Party Monday rejoined the bigger conservative Liberty Korea Party (LKP), Thursday.
They were among 29 lawmakers who quit the LKP in December last year at the height of a massive corruption scandal involving then-President Park Geun-hye.
In a press conference at the LKP head office, the eight lawmakers vowed to unite conservative forces to check the power of President Moon Jae-in.
They are Hong Chul-ho, Kim Yong-tae, Kang Ghil-boo, Lee Jong-koo, Kim Young-woo, Hwang Young-cheul, Kim Moo-sung and Cheong Yang-seog.
LKP Chairman Hong Joon-pyo and floor leader Rep. Chung Woo-taik warmly welcomed their return with big smiles, firm handshakes and greetings.
"The conservatives eventually gathered, based on a widespread desire to form a united front against the leftist Moon Jae-in government," Hong said. "From now on we will be tightly united."
The LKP's number of seats grew to 115, while the ruling Democratic Party of Korea has 121 in the 299-member National Assembly. The Bareun Party's seat shrank to 12 seats, but additional lawmakers may rejoin the LKP.
"Calls have mounted to deter the leftist dash of the Moon government. We've taken the issue seriously and decided to integrate the conservatives," said Rep. Kim Moo-sung, one of the returners.
"We vow to fight the leftists all-out, joining hands with conservative civic groups."
Rep. Joo Ho-young, who is currently serving as the acting leader of the Bareun Party, also plans to rejoin the LKP after the Bareun Party holds a national convention, Nov. 13, to elect its new leader.
According to a Realmeter survey, Thursday, 61.3 percent of respondents were negative about the lawmakers' return to the LKP. Only 25.4 percent supported their decision.
Along with the eight lawmakers, the LKP absorbed 106 former Bareun Party members serving as council members and local party branch chiefs.
There are concerns within the LKP that the return of the lawmakers could be a seed of internal conflict.
The union of LKP workers carried out a hunger strike from Monday to Thursday, protesting the return of those they called "betrayers."
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