Ruling party's internal power struggle turns nasty

Ruling Saenuri Party Chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung, left, and Rep. Lee Hahn-koo, head of the ruling Saenuri Party's nominations committee, speak during their respective press conferences held at the party's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, Thursday. Kim rejected nomination proposals that offered electoral candidacies to loyalists of President Park Geun-hye in five constituencies. / Yonhap

Saenuri leader rejects approving five nominations

By Kim Hyo-jin

The ruling Saenuri Party is being thrown into chaos as a power struggle between rival factions is turning nasty over nominations for the April 13 general election.

Party Chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung left for Busan, Thursday, after refusing to convene a party meeting, during which the remaining proposed candidates put forward by the party's nominations committee, controlled by loyalists to President Park Geun-hye, were to be approved.

Kim took the chairman's seal, required to approve the nominations, with him in an apparent move to block the pro-Park faction from endorsing the nominations in his absence.

The party's Supreme Council members, who are mostly Park loyalists, criticized Kim, likening his move to a "coup."

Party floor leader Rep. Won Yoo-chul, a Park loyalist, rushed to Busan and met Kim. Kim made it clear after the meeting that he would not endorse the nominations.

Earlier in the day, Kim said he would not confirm the nominations for five contentious constituencies until the candidate registration period ends to protest the committee's nominations, meaning that the party will not field candidates in these districts.

The move is seen as a peak in the factional conflict between loyalists to President Park Geun-hye who spearheaded the nomination process, and those who are disgruntled with the nominations lopsided bias in favor of pro-Park lawmakers.

If Kim does not approve the nominations by today, the proposed candidates won't be able to run in the election. In order for them to run as independent candidates, they must have quit the party before the candidate registration period, which started Thursday.

Those whose fates are up in the air include Park's aides ― former Home Affairs Minister Chong Jong-sup and Choo Kyung-ho, a former policy coordinating minister at the prime minister's office ― who were put up as single candidates amid the controversy.

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"I thought this was the best way to apologize to the public," Kim said during a press conference. "I will take full responsibility for the decision."

The move came a day after Rep. Yoo Seong-min left the party while the committee postponed his nomination in a bid to force him out. Other lawmakers excluded from the nominations, including Rep. Lee Jae-oh, followed suit.

The committee designated Lee Jae-man as a candidate to run in Yoo's constituency, Dong B district in Daegu the following day.

In protest, Kim refused to approve all pending nominations in five constituencies ― Seoul Eunpyeong B and Songpa B, Daegu Dalseong and Dong A and B districts, saying they will be left without candidates.

He then went to Busan where he is running as a candidate in the upcoming race.

Rep. Won said, "Expressing personal opinions to the public without prior discussion and skipping regular procedure is a political coup."

"Intra-party division is being aggravated not because of the nomination process, but because of the chairman's irresponsible action."

Urging Kim to stop his boycott, Won threatened to convene a meeting as an acting chairman today.

Amid worsening factional wrangling, an opinion poll conducted by Realmeter in the fourth week of March showed that the approval rating of the party fell to 39.6 percent, a decrease of 1.9 percentage points compared to the previous week.

Park's approval rating also fell by 2.3 percentage points, standing at 39.2 percent. And in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, where the nomination fight started, the rating fell by 8.4 and 11.5 percentage points, respectively.

Political observers say Park will face a further backlash following the row.

"The nomination process showed a complete abuse of power, while ignoring public sentiment," said Choi Chang-ryol, a professor at Yongin University. "Park's original plan of taking a grip on the party by getting her loyalists elected in the ruling party's home turf Daegu, might be difficult to realize."

"It seems like the public is just being forced into the background," said a Daegu citizen, who wished to remain anonymous. "Candidates have been parachuted into our region as a result of their own power struggle, which was irrelevant to public opinion. Many started thinking that this time we should give the party a lesson that they can't just force us to elect Park's aides without a screening process."

The committee's nominations list released last week caused problems because it excluded most of the incumbent lawmakers close to Rep. Yoo and former President Lee Myung-bak. The pro-Park controlled committee faced a backlash by the excluded lawmakers claiming it was an attack on people who don't support Park.