By Kim Jong-chan
Political Editor
Those who bolted from the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) are continuing to enjoy more support than DP leaders in the Jeolla provinces, the home turf of the party.
Chung Dong-young, an independent lawmaker who served as minister of unification during the previous Roh Moo-hyun administration, topped the list with a support rate of 21.7 percent, according to a recent poll conducted by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI).
Rhyu Shi-min, a deserter from the DP who worked as health and welfare minister during the Roh administration, placed second at 17.6 percent.
Incumbent DP Chairman Rep. Chung Sye-kyun placed a far distant sixth at a mere 0.7 percent. Similar results were shown by other polls.
Why? Among other reasons, the DP chairman's objections to the return of Chung Dong-young, former chairman of the Uri Party, the predecessor of the DP, must have disappointed Jeolla locals.
The conflict between the two Chungs dates back to the April 29 National Assembly by-elections.
Chung Dong-young, a candidate in the last presidential election, went to the United States to study after an unsuccessfully bid for a Seoul district in the 2008 parliamentary elections.
After the self-imposed hiatus, the former lawmaker returned to politics but failed to win the party's ticket to run in the by-election in a North Jeolla district where he was previously twice elected to the National Assembly.
He then left the DP to run as an independent in the district, in defiance of the DP chairman's objections. He won the election, dealing a blow to the party.
Mainstreamers within the DP led by the chairman have opposed the return of Chung Dong-young to the party for having done it damage in the by-election.
Discord between the two Chungs is expected to enter a new phase as Chung Dong-young recently reiterated his position that he should be allowed to rejoin the DP.
It should be only a matter of time, given that the party has constantly called for the unity of opposition forces.
There is another group of deserters from the DP, comprised of followers of the late President Roh. The deserters, including former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan and former Health Minister Rhyu, said they will create a political party next month.
The move was construed as their intention to field candidates in the local elections next June. This means that those groups will end up splitting the opposition vote in the elections to pick mayors, governors and council members.
Currently, there seems to be no leader who is able to merge opposition groups into one. No one can fill the vacancy left by the late President Kim Dae-jung, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2000.
In the KSOI poll, former GNP Chairwoman Rep. Park Geun-hye, a viable candidate for the 2012 presidential election, ranked third with a support rate of 15.3 percent, an indication that regionalism is waning in the Jeolla region.
The DP chairman is required to make more efforts to join forces with former DP members with similar political affiliation. Former members' early reentry into the party is needed to ensure fair competition within the party.
Regarding the merger issue, what grade would the DP chairman give himself?