LKP personnel reshuffle to consolidate Hong's leadership

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Tue, October 3, 2023 | 06:23

Politics

LKP personnel reshuffle to consolidate Hong's leadership

Posted : 2017-12-17 17:18

Updated : 2017-12-17 17:36

The conservative Liberty Korea Party deprived four lawmakers of chief positions of their electoral districts, Sunday. They are, from left, Reps. Suh Chung-won, Yoo Ki-june, Bae Duk-kwang and Um Yong-soo. / Yonhap

By Choi Ha-young

Hong Joon-pyo, chairman of the Liberty Korea Party (LKP), has tightened his grip on the country's largest conservative party by removing those loyal to former President Park Geun-hye from top party positions.

Four lawmakers ― Suh Chung-won, Yoo Ki-june, Bae Duk-kwang and Um Yong-soo ― lost their roles as chiefs of their electoral districts, Sunday. Rep. Suh is regarded as a de facto chief of the Park loyalist faction, while the others are close to her.

The position is in charge of managing party members of each electoral district. Competitions to clinch the leadership of electoral districts are keen, as having the post is the easiest way to ensure the National Assembly seats and to expand their influence in the region. So incumbent lawmakers usually hold the post, and if the party does not have a lawmaker in an electoral district, a leading candidate takes the post.

The position is especially important now because they will have to lead the local election slated June next year.

By Sunday's announcement, 62 out of 214 electoral districts nationwide are likely filled with potential candidates close to Hong. Other than the four lawmakers, 58 people without Assembly seats lost their titles. Among them were are Kwon Young-se, former ambassador to China under former President Park; Kim Hee-jung, former gender equality and family minister under Park; and Ryu Yeo-hae, a Supreme Council member of the LKP and a vocal advocate of Park.

The LKP chief said the party conducted assessment without political consideration, but speculation is rampant Hong is gearing up to consolidate his leadership. "The party conducted the evaluation for a good outcome in the upcoming local election. The decision was made based on a fair assessment," Hong said on Facebook.

Hong has openly denounced the Park loyalists as a "tumor" and called for "renovation" of the LKP. "The LKP cannot survive without breaking up with the pro-Park faction," Hong said at a party event on Dec. 5.

The anti-Park drive has accelerated after Rep. Kim Sung-tae, aligned with Hong, was picked as LKP floor leader last week. Kim was among 33 lawmakers who launched the minor conservative Bareun Party earlier this year after splintering off from the Saenuri Party, the predecessor of the LKP, in protest of the Park loyalists' dominance.

A chain of legal motions against Park loyalists is also threatening their grounds in the LKP. On Dec. 10, prosecutors sought an arrest warrant for Rep. Choi Kyung-hwan, who served as a finance minister in the Park government, for his alleged acceptance of bribes from the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

Another Park loyalist, Rep. Kim Jae-won, Park's former senior presidential secretary for political affairs, is accused of carrying out an opinion survey funded by the NIS. He underwent 15 hours of interrogation by the prosecution last month.

Reps. Won Yoo-chul and Lee Woo-hyun were quizzed by the prosecution for allegedly receiving bribes, while Rep. Yeom Dong-yeol also faces investigation over alleged unfair hiring practices at the casino resort, Kangwon Land.

hayoung.choi@ktimes.com