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.
New Politics Coalition will fight Saenuri in June polls
Rep. Kim Han-gil, left, and Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo celebrate during a ceremony to launch a new coalition party at the Sejong Culture Center for Performing Arts in Seoul, Sunday. / Yonhap
By Jun Ji-hye
By Jun Ji-hye
The New Politics Democratic Coalition will go up against the ruling Saenuri Party in what will be a two-way race in the June 4 local elections.
Rep. Kim Han-gil, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), and Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, hosted a meeting of 679 delegates Sunday to make final preparations for the launch of their coalition party on March 26.
“Our new party represents a good-bye to old politics that failed to reflect the will of the people,” Kim said during a ceremony at the Sejong Culture Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Seoul.
Ahn said “Let’s make big changes. Let’s give hope to people who are tired of the status quo.”
The two were named as the joint leaders of the new party.
Their party’s new name only takes “democratic” from the DP and, according to insiders, when it is shortened for convenience, both sides agreed to drop it and refer to the new organization as the “New Politics Coalition.”
Ahn’s party in the making had two lawmakers, himself included, while the DP has 126 lawmakers. The new party will have 130, if two independents also join.
The name indicates their game plan to make the June polls a contest between new political forces against the establishment.
Lawyer Geum Tae-sub, spokesman for Ahn’s team, said that they were still working on the party’s official English name.
DP spokesman Park Kwang-on and Geum said in a joint statement: “The two groups decided on the coalition’s name based on the spirit of mutual respect.”
The two camps received public suggestions for the coalition’s name from Wednesday to Friday before making a final decision.
The two said the coalition will use “sea blue” as its symbolic color. The color is a compromise between what the two sides have used so far -- the DP’s cobalt blue, and sky blue used by the Ahn camp.
“Blue means trust and hope. And the sea represents things that don’t go bad,” said Park.
To meet the requirements of a party launch, the new party plans to hold ceremonies at local branches, beginning with Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday.
“From now on, the joint task force will work on the integration of the two groups,” said Park.
Two weeks ago, the two leaders agreed to form the coalition party by the end of this month to take on the ruling Saenuri Party in the local elections, and to eventually change the government in the next presidential poll in 2017.