Satellite parties face challenges in winning support
Lee Nak-yon, left, chief of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) election campaign committee, speaks during a joint meeting of the DPK and its satellite party, Civil Together, at the DPK's regional branch office in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun
By Jung Da-min
The nation's two major parties have created “satellite parties” in a bid to win more proportional representation seats for the April 15 general election, but it seems the paper parties are having difficulty winning the public support they expected.
Earlier this year, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the main opposition United Future Party (UFP) created satellite parties ― the Civil Together and the Future Korea Party, respectively ― to try and win more proportional representation seats under the new electoral system designed to give more of these to minor parties. While the DPK and the UFP are also participating in the main vote for 253 constituencies, their satellite parties are only putting forward candidates for the 47 proportional representation seats.
The latter, however, are gaining much less public support than they expected compared to other actual minor parties, as neither the liberal and conservative camps have united “enthusiastic” supporters nor appealed to swing voters.
For the DPK's Civil Together, created by pro-Moon Jae-in civic groups and several minor liberal parties, the major threat is not the conservative Future Korea Party but another minor liberal party ― the Open Minjoo Party, which was set up by activists and politicians who support former Justice Minister Cho Kuk.
Headed by former DPK members Chung Bong-joo and Rep. Sohn Hye-won, who had been excluded from the DPK's candidate list because of their involvement in political scandals, the Open Minjoo Party is also only competing for proportional representation seats. Its 20 candidates are also pro-Moon, but they are more hard line, and support disgraced former minister Cho. They include former presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyum, former presidential secretary for civil service oversight, Choe Kang-wook, and Hwang Hee-seok, former head of the Human Rights Bureau at the justice ministry appointed by Cho.
Recent surveys show that liberal voters have been divided, with support for the Open Minjoo Party rising. According to a Realmeter survey of 1,518 adults conducted from March 23 to 27, support for the Open Minjoo Party was 11.7 percent while that for Civil Together was 29.8 percent, 8.2 percentage points lower than a week earlier.
As to the “threat” posed by the Open Minjoo Party, the DPK has strongly denied any connection with it in a bid to get liberals to vote for the ruling party and Civil Together.
Last week, DPK leader Lee Hae-chan warned the Open Minjoo Party “not to use the title of the Moon Jae-in government and the DPK.” But the Open Minjoo Party members said they were “the best children of the pro-Moon political line,” hinting at the possibility that would ask to join the ruling bloc after the election.
On Wednesday, members of the DPK and Civil Together held a joint meeting at the former's regional branch in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, and went to the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju to pay tribute to those who participated in the Gwangju Democratization Movement in 1980.
“We ask the people to unite and give their support to the DPK,” Lee Nak-yon, chief of the DPK's campaign committee said during the meeting.
Meanwhile, the UFP's Future Korea Party is also struggling to get support.
Main opposition United Future Party (UFP) leader Hwang Kyo-ahn, left, and the UFP's satellite Future Korea Party leader Won Yoo-chul, right, participate in a joint ceremony to open their campaign to “save the country's economy,” at the National Assembly in Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun
The Realmeter survey showed 27.8 percent support the UFP's Future Korea Party, lower than the liberal blocs ― 29.8 percent for the Civil Together and 11.7 percent for the Open Minjoo Party.
Political analysts say the “internal” disputes between leaders of the UFP and the Future Korea Party over candidate nominations have tarnished the satellite party's image, and the conservative bloc is not yet presenting policies that can attract young and swing voters.
Also, the Future Korea Party is losing some support from conservative voters to other far-right minor parties such as the Liberty Republican Party or the Pro-Park New Party, both created by former members of the ultra-right Our Republican Party and supporters of former President Park Geun-hye.