Scandal may dismantle ruling Party
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Ruling Saenuri Party Chairman Rep. Lee Jung-hyun attends an emergency party meeting at the National Assembly, Wednesday, to discuss the scandal involving President Park Geun-hye’s longtime confidant Choi Soon-sil. / Yonhap
By Kang Seung-woo
Ruling Saenuri Party Chairman Rep. Lee Jung-hyun and other loyalists to President Park Geun-hye rejected calls from rival factions to give up their party membership, Wednesday.
Their move is expected to deepen an internal feud over how to tackle the fallout of an ever-growing influence-peddling scandal involving President Park’s confidant.
The ruling party plans to hold a general meeting to discuss the issue on Friday, in which rival factions are expected to clash head-on. There is speculation that the party may be split if the pro-Park faction maintains its grip on party affairs.
In the wake of the scandal that Choi Soon-sil, Park’s confidant, has meddled in state affairs, both the Saenuri Party and the President are suffering a sharp decline in their respective approval ratings, casting a shadow on the party’s bid for next year’s presidential election.
“I am earnestly asking for help from senior party members to tackle the fallout from the scandal,” Lee said in a joint meeting with the party’s Supreme Council members, senior lawmakers and leaders at the National Assembly.
“I am merely an inexperienced three-term lawmaker from the Jeolla region, so I need much assistance from the party’s senior members.”
However, during the meeting, Lee exchanged barbs with Rep. Choung Byoung-gug, a non-mainstream lawmaker who has repeatedly urged him to quit.
Lee, a loyalist of President Park who took over the party in August, has been under growing pressure within the party to resign, as he has avoided condemning Park for the scandal; rather, he tried to defend her, putting himself and his party in hot water.
On Monday, about 50 lawmakers of a rival faction held an emergency meeting and called on the party leadership to resign as part of its efforts to deal with the fallout from the scandal.
But Lee also refused the call, saying he would focus on addressing the situation first.
Later in the day, floor leader Chung Jin-suk announced that the party will hold a general meeting with all its Assembly members to discuss the resignation of the party leadership.
Rival faction members are expected to increase their pressure on Lee to step down, raising the possibility for a conflict with the loyalist faction.
Cho Jin-man, a professor of political science at Duksung Women’s University, said the Saenuri chairman will try his best to keep his post as long as President Park stays in office.
“President Park’s reshuffle of the prime minister, Wednesday, means that she is not willing to step down despite the scandal, so Lee is expected to continue resisting calls for his resignation to protect her,” Cho said.