Can Park Geun-hye get out of bind?

By Lee Tae-hoon

Rep. Park Geun-hye, a presidential candidate of the ruling Saenuri Party, is facing a harsh leadership test as an internal feud continues over her recent appointments of campaigners with the election only about two months away.

The 60-year-old seasoned politician is in a catch-22 situation as she needs to invite more non-party members with high profiles including former opponents to her camp to broaden her shrinking support base. But she has been suffering a growing setback in efforts toward that end.

“There are conflicting views on the two core values of our party ― reform and unity,” she said Tuesday in a speech during a forum at the National Assembly.

Political observers say the clock is ticking and she does not have much time to prove that she has the ability to lead the nation harmoniously and effectively communicate with her staff.

They point out that Park’s refusal to accept an open primary and demands for a more radical reform of the party by young reformist lawmakers are belatedly backfiring.

Party insiders say that Park will likely tap Kim Moo-seong, former floor leader of the Saenuri Party, as the head of her campaign team to bolster unity.

Kim turned his back against Park to support the government’s push to revise the plans for Sejong City, but later reconciled with her by declaring that he would voluntarily give up his candidacy in the April National Elections.

Kim is known to be an ideal person to unite Saenuri Party lawmakers who belonged to a faction loyal to President Lee Myung-bak, and those affiliated with the Park faction.

Park made the remarks to counter the repercussions coming from her appointment of Han Kwang-ok, a former chief presidential secretary under the liberal Kim Dae-jung administration as the head of the party’s unity committee.

Ahn Dae-hee, a former Supreme Court justice, who has been chosen as the head of the party’s political reforms, strongly resisted Park’s naming of Han, threatening he would resign unless Park revokes the appointment.

“The two (renovation and unity) may appear to be running counter to each other, but they are equally important values for our politics and future,” Park added.

Though Park expressed confidence that she can have both Ahn and Han as a team and many other dissenting members under the same roof, skepticism remains high.

Lee Sang-don, a senior member of the Saenuri Party’s political reform committee, warned that Park will have too much to lose if she continues to ignore Ahn’s demands.

“Once Ahn quits, the entire political reform committee will collapse,” he said.

The professor of Chung-Ang University also stressed that Saenuri Party lawmaker Lee Hahn-koo should resign as a floor leader if Park wants to keep Kim Jong-in, former senior presidential secretary, who she recruited as a chief strategist.

Lee also urged that key aides to Park should step down to allow reform-minded figures to play a greater role in her camp.

Polls show that she will have a little chance of winning the Dec. 19 presidential election if her two archrivals ― Moon Jae-in of the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) and independent candidate Ahn Cheol-soo ― decide to form an alliance.

To improve odds of clinching victory, the daughter of the late President Park Chung-hee will need to steal votes from her opponents by showing her strong resolve to embrace liberals, a move that cannot be welcomed by her conservative supporters.

Her appointment of non-party members as senior officials of her camp has impressed voters who want to see change in the conservative party, but this has aggravated internal feud.