Liberal party picks 9 candidates for leadership
By Chung Min-uck
The newly formed Democratic Unity Party (DUP) picked nine candidates Monday to run for the party leadership in a preliminary election at the Education and Cultural in Yangjae, southern Seoul.
They were selected out of 15 candidates who registered for the bid as the nascent liberal party is preparing for the parliamentary and presidential elections next year.
The successful candidates include Han Myeong-sook, a former prime minister and close aide to the late President Roh Moo-hyun; actor-turned-politician Moon Sung-keun; former Democratic Party (DP) floor leader Rep. Park Jie-won; reformist Rep. Park Young-sun; and former secretary general of the YMCA Lee Hack-young.
Each of the 729 members of the DUP cast three votes in the cutoff election.
Analysts say the rise of pro-Roh and reform-minded figures in the preliminary voting will likely have a far-reaching impact on the future dynamics within the party.
The DUP is scheduled to hold a national convention on Jan. 15 to pick six members for its decision-making Supreme Council, including the party leader.
Han, Moon and Rep. Park Jie-won are allegedly leading the leadership race.
Among them, Han is considered the strongest contender as she has a wide support base among factions within the party.
She is backed by both the followers of the late Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh, and also from left-wing civic groups.
Moon, who tentatively quit political activities after the change of administration in 2008, has recently been one of the leading figures in the launch of the DUP, serving as the head of civic group Power to the People.
He was a close aide to late President Roh and son of the late democracy activist Rev. Moon Ik-hwan.
Rep. Park Jie-won, who served as chief of staff to the late President Kim, is also conceived as a “dark horse” as he has a strong support base in the southeastern region of Jeolla Province, the former DP’s home turf.
Previously, major political entities from the liberal bloc have been discussing for months the formation of a united front to effectively face off the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) in the April general election.
The DUP was founded earlier this month after the unified liberal candidate Park Won-soon’s victory in the Seoul mayoral by-election in October. It was created through the merger of the main opposition DP, the Citizens Unity Party (CUP), a party largely consisting of the late President Roh’s aides, and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, one of the nation’s major umbrella labor groups.
The leadership vote for the unified liberal party will consist of 30 percent of party delegates’ ballots and 70 percent of votes from citizens and party members.
Currently, Rep. Won Hye-young and Lee Yong-sun are serving as interim co-chairmen of the party.
Meanwhile, the DUP is ahead of the conservative GNP in public surveys conducted after its formation.