Park loyalist gives up chairmanship bid

By Kim Hyo-jin

Rep. Choi Kyung-hwan, the de-facto leader of Saenuri Party lawmakers loyal to President Park Geun-hye, announced Wednesday that he would not run in the party’s chairmanship race scheduled for August 9.

“For the Park Geun-hye administration and Saenuri Party to regain public trust, I will serve as a rank-and-file lawmaker,” Choi said in a press conference at the National Assembly.

“I hope there will no longer be factional conflicts now that I have dropped out of the race.”

Choi had been regarded as a major contender among pro-Park lawmakers to run in the chairmanship election. With multiple pro-Park candidates expected to run in the race, members of the faction have widely supported Choi’s bid out of concerns over the split of votes.

His dropout was interpreted as a strategic decision aiming for the presidential election next year.

Analysts said that Choi would have not risked aggravating the public sentiment with his candidacy, which could clearly display the party’s factional divisions.

So far, Lee Ju-young, a pro-Park lawmaker and former oceans and fishery minister, and Kim Yong-tae, a lawmaker not affiliated with Park, have officially announced their bid for the race. Rep. Lee Jung-hyun, former senior presidential press secretary, said Wednesday he will follow suit today.

Rep. Hong Moon-jong, another pro-Park lawmaker and Rep. Choung Byoung-gug, a former culture minister under the previous Lee Myung-bak administration, are expected to join the race.

The Saenuri Party suffered a crushing defeat in the April 13 general election following factional feuds over controversial nominations. The nominations, controlled by the Park followers, were criticized for being lopsided in favor of pro-Park members.

Choi, who had been believed to lead the nomination, took flak from non-Park followers for causing negative sentiment among voters following the election.