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.
Ex-PM Hwang formally joins LKP leadership race
Former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn waves after declaring his candidacy for the leadership of the main opposition Liberty Korean Party (LKP) at the party's headquarters in Seoul, Tuesday. The LKP will elect its new leader at its Feb. 27 national convention. / Yonhap
By Park Ji-won
By Park Ji-won
Former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn made public his bid to become the leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP), Tuesday, vowing to unify conservative forces for a victory in the general elections next year.
Hwang, considered the strongest possible conservative contender for the next presidency, said, if elected as the LKP chief, he will hold the Moon Jae-in administration in check.
“I will devote myself to scrapping Moon's flagship policies, such as income-led growth and the nuclear-free strategy, that are plaguing the nation,” Hwang said during a press conference held at the LKP's headquarters in Seoul.
Hwang also pledged to unify conservatives to attain a victory in the general elections in 2020.
“I will make the LKP a strong opposition party,” he said.
The LKP will hold a national convention Feb. 27 to elect a new leader and other members of its decision-making Supreme Council. Hwang served as prime minister under former President Park Geun-hye, and her loyalists support him. The LKP leadership post has been vacant since previous chairman Hong Joon-pyo stepped down to take responsibility for the party's defeat in the June 2018 local elections.
The LKP has been embattled by a corruption scandal involving former President Park, who was impeached in March 2017.
Hwang emerged as the most favored LKP presidential hopeful in a recent survey.
The Realmeter poll of 2,515 adults nationwide from Jan. 21 to Friday showed that support for Hwang as a prospective presidential candidate increased 3.6 percentage points from the previous month to 17.1 percent. Following Hwang, Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon garnered 15.3 percent, up 1.4 percentage points. This is the first time since polling began last year that Hwang has overtaken Lee.
The pollster said Hwang received backing from more people in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, LKP supporters and conservatives.
Meanwhile, former members of the Unified Progressive Party (UPP) which was disbanded in 2014 when Hwang was serving as justice minister under the Park Geun-hye administration, filed a complaint against Hwang Tuesday over alleged abuse of power and the leaking of confidential information.
The complaint said that as the justice minister, he abused his power and pressured the Constitutional Court of Korea to disband the UPP unfairly, infringing on the rights to hold public office and to a fair trial.