Jun Ji-hye, a reporter at the finance desk of The Korea Times, focuses primarily on economic policy and government agencies, mainly covering the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Budget and Planning, the National Tax Service and the Korea Customs Service. She previously covered financial authorities, including the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service, and earlier worked on the political, city and business desks, reporting on a wide range of issues.
DUP calls on Ahn to join forces
By Jun Ji-hye
Ahn Cheol-soo
By Jun Ji-hye
While the Democratic United Party (DUP) is mulling over how to realign the party after its election defeat, a key member called for combining forces with former presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo, Wednesday.
Rep. Park Jie-won, the former floor leader who stepped down last week, taking responsibility for the party’s defeat, claimed the DUP needs to push for a merger with people from all regions including Ahn.
“The DUP will be rejected (by the people) unless it opens up toward realignment. Then, it will be able to grow to become a bigger DUP with Ahn and other outsiders,” he said appearing on CBS radio.
When asked if the party will maintain its current form or become a new party, the lawmaker admitted that outsiders including Ahn will probably not want to join the DUP if it remains as it is.
Regarding the new party, some DUP members have already been voicing the need for the party to become a “pan-national party,” oriented toward extending its appeal after the election defeat.
Currently, as evidenced by the election results, the DUP has strong support in the south west provinces of North and South Jeolla. There are pools of support in other regions, but these are very small in comparison to overwhelming backing shown for the Saenuri Party in the south east provinces of South and North Gyeongsang, where the city of Daegu, birthplace of President-elect Park Geun-hye, is located.
Becoming a pan-national party would be achieved by finding ways of appealing to the electorate in these and other regions and gradually building broader voter support.
Park stressed, “The DUP can only survive if it carries out greater innovation because the party suffered from a second defeat following April’s general election.”
“An emergency committee should hold a national convention and select a proper chairman and new party leadership. The DUP should take the first step on the road to political reform in public,” he said.
However, experts raised questions over the feasibility of recruiting the software-mogul-turned politician.
Chung Goon-gi, a professor at the Journalism and Media Department of Kyonggi University, told The Korea Times, “If Ahn joins it will be the right solution for the DUP, but it seems there is little chance of this occurring. Even if the party establishes the new format, Ahn will probably not want to join it because their identities differ.”
The party will elect its new floor leader, who will also chair the interim emergency committee, Friday to fill in the leadership vacuum.
Meanwhile, the next move of Moon Jae-in, the party’s former presidential candidate, also attracts attention as anti-Roh Moo-hyun factions within the party are calling for Moon to resign from the National Assembly.
Rep. Noh Woong-rae claimed, while participating in a general meeting of lawmakers Monday, “The DUP should respond to the election defeat. Moon has to step down from his parliamentary seat.”
Rep. Kim Yung-rok also said, “Taking responsibility for losing the election is what the nation asks for.”
Indeed, there was a call for his resignation just before the election as well, though it was seen as a part of tactics to have a greater chance of winning the poll.
At the time, Moon rejected such a call, saying, “Retaining my National Assembly seat is a promise to local residents.”
Moon disappeared from public view after his last appearance at a ceremony to disband the citizens’ camp, a subgroup within his election team, Friday.
While staying at his house in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, Moon twitted Tuesday, “I want to share consolation and hope with those who are frustrated and hurt. Please don’t get it let you down.”
He also tweeted Monday, “I attended a worship service at a Catholic church in Yangsan. It has been just a year since I posted my first tweet, which was a Christmas Eve view of this small church. I returned to the same place after a year.”