By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
Four-term lawmaker Chung Sye-kyun of the main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) declared his bid for the party chairmanship Sunday, promising ``change and a leap forward.''
Self-proclaimed reformative politician Choo Mi-ae and party advisor Chyung Dai-chul are also expected to join the race soon.
``I will devote myself to making the UDP a strong opposition party that the people can trust and lay their hopes on,'' Chung said at party headquarters in Seoul. ``The party should be reborn as a `new UDP.' It should change and make a leap foward.''
He noted that if elected chairman he would present measures to keep the Lee Myung-bak government in check and establish a capable, democratic government by 2012.
Accusing the incumbent government of conglomerate-friendly policies, Chung promised to create a special team to solve the seven major concerns of the middle- and low-income bracket ― food safety, price hikes, education, post-retirement life, medical services, child care and housing.
Chung, who was first elected to the National Assembly in 1996, worked as chief policymaker of the now-defunct governing Uri Party, the de facto predecessor of the UDP, in 2004. He also headed the party twice in 2005 and 2007.
He served as minister of commerce, industry and energy, now merged into the Ministry of Knowledge and Economy, for one year from 2006.
Choo, who made a successful return to politics with a parliamentary seat she won in the April 9 general elections, is emerging as a great threat to him.
According to a survey by the local broadcaster, CBS, last Thursday, Choo topped the poll with support of 20.1 percent, 6.1 percentage points higher than that of Chung.
Choo, nicknamed Joan of Arc because of her reformative tendency and stubbornness, is one of the few UDP members who won in Seoul in the elections. The party gained only seven out of 48 seats up for grabs in the capital.
Choo, who is now on a nationwide tour checking on public sentiment, will launch her bid for the party leadership this week, an aide said.
Party advisor Chyung Dai-chul is considering a bid after Tuesday when the party is scheduled to pick a new floor leader, according to an aid.
Setting his party platform as a ``unified moderate,'' he plans to stress the need of being a middle-of-the-road group in a bid to regain public trust, the aide said. He was placed third in the survey with support of 11.6 percent.