Kim Rahn is the managing editor of The Korea Times. Since joining the company in 2003, she has covered various beats including the presidential office, Seoul city government, the Bank of Korea and the tourism industry. In 2014, she won the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) award for her coverage of the ordeals of migrant women in Korea.
Main opposition hesitant about merger with satellite party
Rep. Shim Jae-cheol, center, acting head of the main opposition United Future Party, speaks during a party meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Wednesday. The party has to decide whether to merge with its satellite Future Korea Party as it promised before the April 15 general election. Yonhap
By Kim Rahn
By Kim Rahn
Opinion is divided among members of the main opposition United Future Party (UFP) over whether to merge with its satellite Future Korea Party (FKP) as initially planned, as some believe that that separation could be more advantageous to the opposition bloc.
The UFP set up the satellite party in February ahead of the April 15 general election after the implementation of a new electoral system which was intended to give minor parties more chances to gain National Assembly seats.
The UFP sent dozens of its party members to the satellite party, promising the two groups would merge once the election was over.
However, this plan has now become complicated after the FKP gained 19 seats: if the UFP, with 84 elected members, sends at least one of them to the satellite party, the latter will have 20 lawmakers, which will allow it to become a “negotiation group.”
Some UFP and FKP members are now considering not merging but instead leaving the minor party as its own entity. The FKP is the third-largest party following the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the UFP, and some in the conservative bloc believe that the two conservative parties working together, instead of merging, will provide more ways to keep the ruling bloc in check.
If it becomes a negotiation group, the FKP can receive a government subsidy, separate from the UFP's share, according to the law on the National Assembly. It will also have the benefit of being entitled to recommend candidates for head positions of some government organizations.
The two conservative parties are especially focused on the selection of the chief candidate for a soon-to-be launched investigative body that will handle corruption cases involving high-ranking officials, which the UFP has opposed, claiming the new body will favor the current administration. According to the law governing the organization, the ruling and opposition parties can recommend two candidates each for the chairperson position. If the FKP remains on its own, the UFP and the FKP will be more likely to have influence over both candidates reserved for the opposition.
But others are pushing for a swift merger, considering the creation of the FKP was “foul play” to gain more seats under the new electoral system. They say changing the stance and not merging will be another underhanded move, and will result in more public distrust of the UFP which experienced a crushing defeat in the general election.
Rep. Won Yoo-chul of the Future Korea Party, center, speaks during a party meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. He said his party would discuss a merger with the main opposition United Future Party, once the latter selects a new leader. Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun
The final decision over the merger is unlikely to come soon, as the UFP has more urgent tasks, including selecting a new leader Friday, as well as deciding on whether to set up an emergency reform committee to recover from the election defeat, and who will lead the committee.
Rep. Won Yoo-chul, head of the FKP, said he would discuss the issue with the UFP when the latter's leadership is newly formed.
Meanwhile, the ruling DPK, which had also created the satellite Civil Together was also hesitating to merge with its creation, but recently decided to go ahead and is undergoing the necessary procedures according to its internal rules. The DPK gained 163 seats and Civil Together, 17, and the merger will give the ruling bloc 60 percent of the seats in the 300-strong Assembly.