By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
Grand National Party (GNP) Chairman Park Hee-tae is expected to announce his bid to run for a National Assembly seat in the by-elections in October following a meeting with President Lee Myung-bak this week.
Discussions are now under way in the governing camp over whether Chairman Park should resign from the position before launching his election campaign or run as the chairman.
Park's aides said he plans to run in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, where the GNP appears to have an edge over the opposition parties. The by-elections will take place in three electoral districts ― Yangsan, Sangrok B in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province and Gangneung in Gangwon Province.
If Park resigns, the GNP will have to find a successor and form a new leadership, which will be tasked to win the by-elections, regarded as a confidence vote for President Lee, and to prevent him from becoming an early lame duck.
Some GNP lawmakers have called for an early convention to choose new party leaders and make a breakthrough in the stalled dialogue with opposition parties. The Assembly passed contentious media-related bills last month amid an opposition boycott and opposition parties immediately filed a petition with the Constitutional Court to nullify the passage and threatened to boycott all remaining Assembly sessions.
According to GNP officials, Lee and Park will meet at Cheong Wa Dae as early as Wednesday. They will discuss a variety of pending issues, including Park's election bid, a planned Cabinet reshuffle and North Korea's detention of South Koreans, the officials said.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) is also choosing candidates for the by-elections. The party reportedly offered a ticket to former presidential chief of staff Moon Jae-in, one of the closest aides to the late President Roh Moo-hyun, to run in Yangsan to face Chairman Park.
Another Roh confident, Kim Doo-kwan, a former public administration minister, is also said to be considering running in Yangsan on the DP ticket.
``No matter whom the DP will choose for a battle in Yangsan, the candidate is likely to be a native of South Gyeongsang Province,'' a DP spokesman said. ``Moon and Kim were born in the province so they are considered the favorites for candidacy. The party will discuss who will appeal more to voters.''
One of the key points of interest is whether former GNP lawmaker Lee Jae-oh, a key advisor to President Lee on political affairs, will be able to return to the party leadership. GNP lawmakers affiliated with former party chairwoman Rep. Park Geun-hye have strongly opposed his comeback, saying intra-party conflicts will intensify if he returns.
Speculation has been growing that President Lee may replace some Cabinet ministers and presidential secretaries, including Prime Minister Han Seung-soo, before Liberation Day on Aug. 15.
The new line-up may include politicians and people from a broader spectrum of ideology.
In his speech to mark Liberation Day, Lee is expected to announce measures to stabilize the livelihood of ordinary people, resolve political divisions and address North Korea's nuclear threats, according to his aides.