Opposition DP in Race to Pick Floor Leader
By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
With just four days to go, attention has shifted to the main opposition Democratic Party's election to pick a floor leader, as the next to hold the post will likely play a major role in determining the party's landscape.
As of Sunday, four DP legislators had thrown their hats into the ring.
One leading candidate is Rep. Kim Boo-kyum, who is known to be a confidant of DP Chairman Chung Sye-kyun.
According to political observers, a win by Kim would likely consolidate the mainstream faction led by Chung.
Even though the DP chairman has said he would remain neutral, he has tended to tacitly support Kim, as Chung exerted influence on Reps. Lee Mi-kyung and Park Byeong-seug, who belong to the mainstream faction and dropped their bids.
If Kim gains the top post, he is also expected to consolidate his leadership. He will also frustrate or delay his rival former presidential candidate Chung Dong-young (DY) in his attempt to rejoin the party. The former Unification Minister won a National Assembly seat in the April 29 by-elections.
DY left Korea after he was defeated in a contest with President Lee Myung-bak in the presidential election in December 2007.
He tried to make a comeback within the party, and had hoped to be on the party ticket in the by-elections but the DP leadership refused him the nomination.
Chung, once the leader of the largest faction in the DP, vowed to rejoin the party after winning a by-election as an independent.
In the meantime, Rep. Park Jie-won, an aide to former President Kim Dae-jung, declared his bid to become DP's floor leader Sunday.
Since he has been called the ``permanent chief secretary'' for Kim, a victory for Park will likely mean better opportunities for the former president to gain leverage within the party.
Reps. Lee Kang-rae and Lee Jong-kul have also joined the party.
Both are considered non-mainstreamers who could push a non-mainstream faction to the core of the party, according to political observers.
Rep. Lee Kang-rae said he favors DY's comeback.
On the other hand, Rep. Lee Jong-kul is not so friendly to the current DP chairman, whom he sees as quite ``dovish'' in the battle against the governing party. He is a strong DY backer.