Park Ji-won is a writer for The Korea Times who has been covering a wide range of topics from Korea’s culture to its politics. An avid journalism enthusiast to the core, Ji-won brings a thoughtful and unique perspective to every topic she covers. On weekends, you'll often find her contemplating life’s purpose on a yoga mat — with a cup of quality tea in hand. A native Korean speaker by birth and fluent in English through her work, she went to college in Japan and is learning Chinese and French — hoping to add Polish, Russian and Thai to the mix.
Park loyalists sacked as LKP branch heads
Jun Joo-hye, a member of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party's special committee on organization reform under the party's reform committee, briefs the committee's activities at the National Assembly, Friday. / Yonhap
By Park Ji-won
By Park Ji-won
The largest opposition, Liberty Korea Party (LKP)'s interim leadership has evicted 21 incumbent lawmakers, including some loyalists of former President Park Geun-hye, from key party posts as part of reform measures.
The LKP's reform committee announced Saturday a list of 112 party members who are considered disqualified from the positions of branch chiefs who can influence nominations of candidates for local councils. The list includes 21 incumbent lawmakers including Kim Moo-sung, and Choi Kyung-whan and Hong Moon-jong, loyalists of launched former President Park Geun-hye. The LKP will replace 79 chiefs out of 253 at local branches by the middle of January.
Jun Joo-hye, an organization reform committee member outlined on Friday the criteria for deciding which members will be disqualified. “The first criteria is to ask for the accountability of the collapse of the LKP,”
“The second is whether or not they are capable of fighting and being competent as an opposition lawmaker.”
The decisions came after Rep. Na Kyung-won was elected as the party's new floor leader last week. The reform committee was launched four months ago to find the means for the party to recover from failures such as the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye and large defeats in general and local elections.
Many lawmakers, who were included in the list, said they would accept the party's decision. But some said that it was unfair, implying possible widening divisions inside the party.
Rep. Hong Moon-pyo, who is listed, disputed his selection, saying “When you reshuffle the leadership of party branches, there should be plausible principles.”
Citing his political achievements in his precinct, he declared “I should be rewarded.”
Rep. Kwak Sang-do, who was also on the list, said Sunday on Facebook that “The replacement of the heads of party branches should have criteria which are acceptable. I was unfairly disqualified only because I served as Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs in the former government.”
“It is hard for me to accept the decision as it was to target specific regions and individuals.”
Critics say the LKP's factional dispute will likely continue until February's party convention where the LKP will pick its new leader.
“It is being delayed, but justice was served. LKP supporters would welcome the decision as the reform committee decided to dismiss the key figures of party factional disputes,” Cha Jae-won, visiting professor of the Catholic University of Pusan was quoted as saying to Yonhap News TV.
Cha said, however, the rifts will continue in the February national convention where the party members will chose the party leader.
Na, meanwhile, expressed “regrets” over the committee's decision saying, ”I expressed my strong 'regret' to the committee over the possible results that would lose a lot of lawmakers in terms of fighting against the ruling party in a unified team.”