31 anti-Park lawmakers to leave ruling party on Dec. 27

Ruling Saenuri lawmakers who have been at odds with President Park Geun-hye announced their intent on Wednesday to leave the party within the year, citing the leadership's reluctance to embrace reforms despite the impeachment crisis.

The dissenters' group and Park loyalists have been at odds since the outbreak of the influence-peddling scandal surrounding the president and her confidante Choi Soon-sil.

Rep. Yoo Seong-min and Rep. Kim Moo-sung, the former floor leader and the chief of Saenuri, respectively, said they would leave the party, expressing disappointment on Saenuri's factional feud. A total of 31 lawmakers met earlier in the day to outline their intent to leave the party next Tuesday.

While the non-Park faction earlier proposed that Yoo should head the party's emergency committee and be granted with full authority, the plan was turned down by the loyalists, who claimed that dissenters should leave the party instead of igniting conflict.

Last week, loyalist Rep. Chung Woo-taik was elected as the floor leader, beating his competitors from the anti-Park group, which also came as a disappointment for those critical of the running of the party.

The announcement marks the first major departure, since Gyeonggi Gov. Nam Kyung-pil and Rep. Kim Yong-tae left Saenuri in November following the public uproar surrounding the scandal centered on the president and her close friend.

The dissenters must secure more than 20 lawmakers to establish a separate negotiation body at the National Assembly.

Political observers said that the numbers should be reached, with some predicting around 40 defectors, which would be enough to make them the third-largest political body in parliament, outpacing the 38 seats held by the People's Party. (Yonhap)