By Lee Tae-hoon
Staff reporter
The return of Lee Jae-oh, a close confidant of President Lee Myung-bak, to the National Assembly is a personal as well as political triumph. The three-term lawmaker was largely credited for the successful election of President Lee to Cheong Wa Dae. Yet after losing in the 2008 parliamentary elections to Moon Kook-hyun, he left for the United States and returned to Korea in March 2009 after a self-imposed 10-month exile.
Upon his return, he persevered as head of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission until last month when he quit in order to run in Wednesday’s National Assembly by-elections.
Political observers forecast that he is likely to help reconcile factions within the governing Grand National Party, in particular, the older and younger pro-President factions. Lee has served in critical posts of the governing Grand National Party (GNP) party, serving as its secretary general in 2003, floor leader in 2006 and special presidential envoy to Russia in 2008.
But political watchers wonder whether the long-standing rivalry between followers of the President and those loyal to Park Geun-hye, former chairwoman of the ruling party, will intensify.
In a bid to dispel such concerns, the political heavyweight pledged Thursday, a day after his victory in the parliamentary by-elections, that he will avoid factional clashes and improve the livelihood of low-and mid-income earners.
“Politics is all about compromising and making concessions. I assure you that no factional feuding will break out because of me,” Lee Jae-oh said, adding that top priority should be given to reviving the economy.
Observers, however, point out that, given Lee Jae-oh’s comeback, a power struggle will be inevitable within the GNP as the 2012 National Assembly and presidential elections draw near.
The veteran politician has strained relations with Park, the eldest daughter of the late President Park Chung-hee, after he spearheaded the 2007 GNP primary for Lee Myung-bak to win the party’s nomination over her.
He has been viewed as the leader of the pro-Lee Myung-bak faction since then and rumored to have exerted influence to prevent some of Park’s faithful followers from being nominated as GNP candidates in past parliamentary elections, exacerbating the factional feuding.
Lawmakers of the Park faction, who have been critical of the administration’s major policies, including a plan to overhaul a multi-billion dollar administrative town project, fear that Lee Jae-oh may once again attempt to exclude them from running in forthcoming elections on the GNP’s ticket.
They forecast another round of a factional clashing will erupt within the party over constitutional amendment as the two Lees want to see presidential power shared either with the Cabinet or parliament, while Park is strongly opposed to the idea.
In the election, Lee Jae-oh defeated Chang Sang, a unified candidate of three opposition parties and a former Ewha Womans University president, providing fresh momentum to the new leadership of the governing party, elected July 14 and mainly comprised of President Lee’s loyalists.
Meanwhile, for fear of further internal feuding, the GNP’s decision making Supreme Council Thursday decided to recommend its lawmakers to disband regular gatherings or forums organized by a particular faction.
They, however, failed to specify the names of factions barred from such activities or penalties for breaking the instructions.
As a result of the by-elections, in which it secured five of the eight seats up for grab, the GNP will command 172 seats in the 299-member legislature, while the DP has 87. As the GNP agreed to a merger with the Future Hope Party, which holds eight parliamentary seats and mainly consists of lawmakers loyal to Park, the ruling party will increase its parliamentary seats to 180.