New Saenuri chief puts opposition on edge
By Kim Hyo-jin
Lee Jung-hyun Saenuri Party Chairman
The election of the ruling Saenuri Party chairman is raising concerns from opposition parties that they may lose their faithful voters to the governing side en route to next year’s presidential election.
On Tuesday, Rep. Lee Jung-hyun was elected as the new Saenuri leader, marking the first time for a politician from the nation’s liberal-leaning southwestern Jeolla provinces to take the helm of the conservative party. The three-term lawmaker is from Gokseong, South Jeolla Province.
Political analysts predict the Saenuri Party could have room to woo voters in opposition parties’ traditional strongholds on the back of the Lee election.
Given that the previous presidential elections were close races, the opposition bloc is concerned that even a small numbers of voters turning their backs on them from the Jeolla provinces could deal a serious blow to their potential candidates.
In the 2012 election, Moon Jae-in, a candidate from the Democratic United Party, the precursor of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK), lost to then Saenuri Party candidate Park Geun-hye by a margin of 1.08 million votes.
The Saenuri chairman has vowed to draw the support of 20 percent of the voters from the North and South Jeolla provinces in the presidential election, a scenario that the analysts believe is feasible, given that the Saenuri Party has been favored in recent polls by about 15 percent of respondents from the region.
Twenty percent of votes from the Jeolla region is estimated to be 400,000, and assuming voters in Seoul and surrounding areas sympathize with their hometowns in the Jeolla region, the figure translates to 1 million.
“It has been a tall order for the Saenuri Party to woo voters from the MPK’s stronghold. However, now they have a chance, as the region’s perception toward the Saenuri is changing,” Ji Byeong-guen, a political science professor at Chosun University in Gwangju, said.
In the April 13 general election, the Saenuri won two parliamentary seats in the region, with Lee getting reelected.
Expectation is also rising among Saenuri Party lawmakers.
“Lee’s chairmanship has boosted our confidence in taking a step closer to Jeolla voters,” Rep. Kim Tae-heum said. “We believe it will help us win the presidential race next year.”
The pundits say if U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is also considered a potential presidential candidate, launches his bid with the Saenuri Party, the odds will get even higher.
“With Ban from North Chungcheong Province running as a contender under Lee’s leadership, and with combined power of loyal voters from the Gyeongsang provinces, gaining extensive nationwide support is possible,” said Choi Chang-ryol, a political science professor at Yongin University.
Amid the escalating concerns, the opposition parties are shifting their focus on the Jeolla region to keep their voters.
Park Jie-won, the floor leader of the People’s Party, visited North Jeolla Province, Wednesday, and laid out plans for economic development there.
“We are determined to work hard in the parliament for the Jeolla region’s benefits,” Park said.
The following day, Park called on the ruling party and Cheong Wa Dae to reform the employment of senior public officials that is lopsided in favor of the southeastern Gyeongsang region.
Meanwhile, the MPK vowed to push for a revision bill that aims to punish those who slander and distort facts about victims of the May 18, 1980 democratic uprising in Gwangju.