Deserters rush to form new parties

By Park Si-soo

More lawmakers from the country’s two largest political parties are throwing away their memberships in protest against what they describe as “unfair” selections of candidates for the April 11 National Assembly elections.

The intensity of such protests is expected to keep increasing following the two parties’ announcement of further lists of candidates.

Estranged members have either formed alliances of their own or joined minor parties to keep their political ambitions afloat. Some are considering creating a new party, posing to undermine support base of their previous camps ㅡ the ruling Saenuri Party and the largest opposition Democratic United Party.

Three-term lawmaker Choi Byeong-kook left the ruling Saenuri Party, Monday, in the latest in series of desertions of sitting legislators from the party. The number of lawmakers who have left the ruling party is now five, all in an angry reaction to the candidate selections.

“I will leave the Saenuri Party where I have devoted myself for so many years,” Choi said in a press briefing in Seoul. “I believe I was not selected because of my contribution to the Lee Myung-bak administration.”

He went on to say, “In order to run an election campaign freely, I should leave the party,” indicating that he will run as an independent.

His remarks reflect a widening factional rift in the ruling party that has long been divided between those loyal to President Lee and those loyal to current interim leadership committee head Park Geun-hye.

Relations between Lee and Park have soured since the two vied for the conservative party’s ticket for the presidential election in 2007. This long-running bad blood between the two has led many pro-Lee lawmakers to see their non-selection as a political reprisal.

Two other political heavyweights, Kim Moo-sung, a former floor leader of the Grand National Party (now the Saenuri Party), and Jin Soo-hee, former health minister, planned to leave the party along with Choi, but changed their minds.

The largest opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) is also suffering desertions of sitting lawmakers and political bigwigs following its selection announcements.

Led by Han Myeong-sook, it has been criticized for assessing contenders with a yardstick designed to favor to those loyal to the late former President Roh Moo-hyun.

This provoked members of another faction loyal to Roh’s predecessor Kim Dae-jung. The late Kim’s supporters constitute one of the two columns of the liberal party with the other one gripped by Roh’s followers.

In the latest protest against the move, Kim’s loyalists created a new party, Monday, with a platform designed to uphold his political legacy.

Han Kwang-ok, a veteran politician who served Kim as presidential chief of staff, took the interim leadership of the party, tentatively named the Authentic Democratic Party. Han left the DUP earlier this month.

“Our party will integrate liberal forces to build a country that is running on liberal principles,” Han said in a statement. Han called the DUP’s selection results a “massacre,” condemning the opposition party for turning the political clock backward.

The 70-year-old politician said he will try hard to recruit competent liberal politicians in a bid to win as many parliamentary seats as possible in the elections.

Meanwhile, another fledgling party is aggressively recruiting sitting lawmakers who failed to be chosen on their party’s ticket, regardless of their ideological position.

Park Se-il, leader of the minor conservative Korea Vision Party, said he will make his party the third largest in the election following the Saenuri Party and the DUP.

“My goal is making the party the country’s third largest political party with help from unselected members of the Saenuri Party, the DUP and other minor parties,” Park said. “People want to see a broad integration of political forces regardless of their ideological position, region of origin, and other elements that have defined their politics.”

Rep. Chun Yu-Ok joined the party Monday. She was named as a member of its decision-making Supreme Council and spokeswoman.

Chun, a close aide to President Lee, bolted from the ruling Saenuri Party last week, also accusing it of committing a “massacre of conservatives.”