By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
The number of parliamentary negotiating groups has decreased from three to two, after one Liberty Forward Party (LFP) lawmaker bolted from the party.
Rep. Sim Dae-pyung's defection from the party left the LFP-Renewal of Korea Party (ROKP) coalition with 19 parliamentary seats.
This means that the coalition needs to secure one more lawmaker from the outside to qualify as a negotiating bloc again.
Political observers say inter-party relations could deteriorate in the National Assembly session due to the "Sim effect" because the minor bloc used to play a bridge role between the governing Grand National Party (GNP) and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP). The session opens today.
Sim announced he would leave the LFP after he and Chairman Lee Hoi-chang tangled over the presidential offer for Sim to take over the post of Prime Minister.
The presidential office admitted Monday that it had talked with Sim three times to ask if he would be interested in serving in the government. President Lee Myung-bak is scheduled to reshuffle the Cabinet later this week.
The presidential office said Sim was one of the strongest candidates for the premiership if he had not dropped out of consideration.
Sim was reportedly very much interested in the position but LFP Chairman Lee, who thought Sim's acceptance would not be helpful for the minor opposition party, discouraged him from taking the offer.
Earlier, LFP leader Lee maintained that his party would approve Sim's accepting of the nomination only if President Lee proposed an official coalition with the minor party as an equal partner. As of yet, the President has not made the call.
Sim denounced the LFP chairman during a press conference held on Sunday, accusing Lee of bigotry, stubbornness and never making concessions.
``Chairman Lee has run the LFP as if it is his own,'' Sim accused Lee.
Political analysts predict Sim leaving the LFT would have a profound effect on the party based in Chungcheong Province next June when local elections take place.
Prior to becoming a lawmaker, Sim was a popular governor of the Province and his joining the LFP helped the party gain sweeping victories in the middle-eastern region of the country in National Assembly elections last year.
Sim served as a governor of the region four times.
The main opposition DP said it was inappropriate for the presidential office to propose an opposition lawmaker become a premier three times.
It said the move might have been aimed at dividing the opposition camp.