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| Kim Han-gil, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), shakes hands with Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo at a meeting of senior DP party members at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Wednesday. The two were appointed as co-chairmen of a new coalition party they will form by the end of the month. / Yonhap |
By Jun Ji-hye
Rep. Kim Han-gil, chairman of the Democratic Party (DP), and Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo were appointed Wednesday as co-chairmen of a coalition party they have agreed to form by the end of the month.
"They also agreed to fill leadership posts of the new party with the same number of members from each side," said Park Kwang-on and Geum Tae-sub, spokesmen of the DP and the Ahn camp, respectively.
The two leaders earlier this week announced that the two opposition forces will create a coalition to confront the ruling Saenuri Party in local elections, and to change the administration in the next presidential poll in 2017.
Ahn's aides earlier suggested that he be the lone chairman of the party, saying this will help give emphasis to the coalition's call for new politics.
The proposal from the Ahn side mirrored its concerns about skepticism from both inside and outside that his camp may eventually be absorbed into the main opposition party.
Ahn tried to remove such concerns, saying, "Forming the coalition is to push for new politics in earnest, not for the existing party to absorb the new force."
Insiders said Kim and Ahn had a one-on-one discussion before agreeing to the co-chairmen system, which is expected to continue until the June 4 local elections are over.
However, they still remain at odds over how the two forces will merge.
The leading opposition party had said earlier that the DP and the Ahn camp would form a new party, and then this would be merged with the DP.
The DP wants this method as it enables the party to maintain government subsidies given in accordance with the proportion of the vote it earned in the 2012 general election.
However, Ahn's supporters are calling on the DP to disperse first, saying that, "each lawmaker should separately join the coalition."
They say this is a more appropriate way to promote new politics.
Dissolution means the party has to give up state subsidies estimated at about 12.7 billion won ($11.8 million).
"Calling for dissolution is absurd. We already fully explained the situation, and everyone understood it," said Rep. Sul hoon, the DP representative of the two sides' task force tasked with creating the coalition.
The differences raised the likelihood that the two camps will experience a bumpy road ahead in making detailed decisions about the coalition.
The ruling party criticized the move. Rep. Choi Kyung-hwan, Saenuri floor leader, said, "Each side is only attempting to secure their own political profit. They do not care about the people."
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