The ruling Saenuri Party denied about 30 sitting lawmakers party nominations for April's parliamentary elections Monday in shock therapy aimed at reshaping its tarnished image, sparking strong protests from the cut-off members and widening a rift in the faction-ridden party.
The party's nomination committee said it has chosen some 80 candidates based on their approval ratings in public opinion polls, and will hold primaries later this month to pick a sole contender in 47 electorates across the nation.
The list excluded about 30 incumbent lawmakers deemed by the committee less competitive than their potential opposition rivals. Some of them strongly protested, claiming they were unfairly ruled out from the nomination.
The exclusion is in line with the party's pledge to replace a quarter of its legislators with fresh faces, one of a series of sweeping steps that the unpopular party came up with to regain public confidence.
Rep. Shin Ji-ho, a freshman lawmaker in northern Seoul, said he cannot accept the results, citing recent opinion polls that showed his approval ratings higher than his competitors by a wide margin.
"The committee should disclose related documents and explain," Shin said.
Rep. Chun Yu-ok, a two-term lawmaker elected in western Seoul, criticized the interim leader Park Geun-hye over dropping her from the nomination list.
Monday's nominations are expected to worsen an internal feud in the party that have long been divided between those loyal to President Lee Myung-bak and those loyal to current party leader Park Geun-hye.
The party's two biggest factions are referred to as "pro-Lee" and "pro-Park."
Relations between Park and Lee have badly soured since the two vied for the party's nomination during the 2007 presidential election and when the party's previous leadership excluded several lawmakers loyal to Park from the list of nominations for the previous general elections four years ago.
"Pro-Lee" members could view Monday's nominations as a political reprisal.
Among those included in the second slate of candidates were Rep. Hong Sa-duk, a six-term lawmaker who has led the pro-Park faction, and a 27-year-old female candidate who will go up against Moon Jae-in, considered a liberal presidential candidate, in the southern port city of Busan.
The main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) also said Monday that it has decided to replace six incumbent legislators in its stronghold southwestern region with fresh figures to rejuvenate the party for the key elections.
The center-left party has also been marred by the internal feud after some veteran politicians who failed to win nominations in the early screenings bristled at the party's nomination process.
The DUP's leadership led by Chairwoman Han Myeong-sook is facing a big test amid growing conflicts over the nomination process as many flock to the main opposition party, as the latest surveys show high voter discontent with the Lee administration and his conservative party that have been hit by corruption scandals.
In a sign of a growing split in the party, a disgruntled senior politician last week decided to leave the party in protest of the candidate selection process.
Later in the day, four rejected lawmakers, who formerly served under the late President Kim Dae-jung, issued a joint statement criticizing the party's decision and stating they could leave the party and run as independent candidates for the districts they currently represent. (Yonhap)