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.
Moon, Park battle heats up
Rep. Moon Jae-in, left, shakes hands with Rep. Park Jie-won during a joint speech session for the opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy chairmanship in Hwasun, South Jeolla Province, Sunday. The party will elect a new leader on Feb. 8. / Yonhap
By Jun Ji-hye
By Jun Ji-hye
Reps. Moon Jae-in and Park Jie-won stepped up their electioneering in South Jeolla Province, Sunday, in their battle to become chairman of the opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD).
The region will be vital in electing a new leader at the party’s national convention slated for Feb. 8.
They frontrunners attended joint speech sessions at Hwasun and Gwangju, Sunday, along with the third candidate, Rep. Lee In-young.
The two will clash again on Tuesday in North Jeolla Province.
Honam, which encompasses Gwangju and South and North Jeolla Provinces, is the liberal party’s traditional home turf. The area has the most NPAD members ― about half its members are estimated to live in the region.
Moon said in his speech, “I am the only person who can make the party a winner.” He stressed that the new chairman would orchestrate the next general elections slated for 2016.
In response, Park indirectly attacked Moon, saying, “A number of opposition politicians are returning to Honam only when they need its citizens. Then they throw away the people after getting what they want.”
Park claimed that a person with presidential ambitions should not run for the party’s hegemony.
Observers say Moon will face difficulties regardless of if he is elected or not. If elected, he will be tasked with cleaning up factional conflict within the NPAD to strengthen party solidarity before the April by-elections. However, these divisions have been caused by his pro-Roh faction to a certain extent. In the case of a defeat, Moon will lose his political influence considerably as a potential candidate for the next presidency.
Park meanwhile seems to have nothing to lose in this rivalry; the fact he has been in competition with Moon will be political asset for him in the future.
With Moon leading in various opinion polls, mudslinging by the candidates has intensified as the national convention approaches.
In a televised debate organized by MBC’s Gwangju branch on Thursday, Moon launched a counterattack against Park’s call for separating the presidency and party hegemony.
“Park urged me not to run for the party chairmanship if I have a plan to run for the president,” Moon said. “Such a request is just imperialism, showing his ambition to dominate the NPAD.”
The deepening battle between Moon and Park has been construed as a factional dispute between the followers of two late, liberal presidents. Moon was chief of staff under the Roh administration, while Park assumed the same position for the Kim Dae-jung government.
Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye