Merger of GNP, splinter party imminent

By Park Si-soo

The ruling Grand National Party (GNP) is set to merge with a minor political party loyal to the former’s interim leader Park Geun-hye in a move to consolidate conservative forces ahead of the April general election.

GNP Secretary General Kwon Young-se said Wednesday “stumbling blocks between the GNP and the Future Hope Alliance have been removed” and the two will jointly announce their merger today.

The move will increase the GNP’s seats to 174 from 166 in the 299-seat unicameral National Assembly.

This is also expected to improve the GNP’s chances in competing with the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) in the upcoming poll.

The DUP, created in December by the merger of two opposition parties, saw its support rate immediately increase.

Discussions regarding combining the two conservative parties started in 2010 but failed to progress until recently as the alliance insisted that the GNP guarantee a comeback for corruption-ridden former lawmaker Seo Cheong-won, and fair treatment of its members in the selection process for the elections.

Kwon said the alliance had voluntarily dropped its calls for Seo’s return, and promised that the GNP will select candidates through a fair and transparent screening process.

“Seo’s return was not discussed during the last-minute talks with the alliance on the merger,” he said. “As far as I know, he will not seek reelection in the poll.”

Seo, a former lawmaker loyal to incumbent leader Park, was sentenced to an 18-month jail term in 2009 for taking illegal political funds during the campaign for the 2008 parliamentary elections. He was pardoned in a presidential amnesty in 2010.

Kwon said the GNP was willing to talk about a strategic merger with any political force as long as they uphold “the value of conservatism.” He said no such dialogue is underway at the moment.

The secretary general said his party will take over the alliance’s debt worth 1.3 billion won ($1.15 million) and integrate its party officials.

The Future Hope Alliance was established in 2008 by Park’s loyalists who left from the GNP. They claimed the party was discriminative against them in selecting candidates for the 2008 general election.