Opposition big shots go separate ways on Sewol

By Kang Seung-woo

Park Won-soon, Seoul mayor

Amid the worsening political standoff over the “Sewol bill,” the main opposition’s three potential presidential hopefuls are going in different directions.

The “big three“ of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) are Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, Rep. Moon Jae-in and Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo.

Park has been establishing himself as the top dog in the run up to the 2017 presidential race after his reelection in June. He is actively creating an image of an administrator making efforts to boost the economy and support people’s livelihoods, as emphasized by President Park Geun-hye.

“There is no division between rival parties in trying to improve the living standard for people and reviving the economy,” Park said in a meeting with Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan on Monday.

His remarks sharply contract with his party’s recent refusal to process any bills before passing the special bill to uncover the truth behind the April 16 ferry disaster that left more than 300 people dead.

However, Park has not turned his back on the families of the ferry victims, as he visited Kim Young-oh, who lost his teenage daughter in the accident and was on a hunger strike last month in hopes of forcing lawmakers to set up a full independent inquiry while calling on President Park to become actively involved.

Moon has thrust himself into the center of the ferry disaster controversy.

The lawmaker staged a nine-day hunger strike to support Kim late last month, and he also visited Jindo Island on Sunday, where families of those passengers whose bodies remain missing still stay.

Moon is becoming more of a presence within the NPAD by guiding its strong stance on the special bill. He stresses the special law should be based on what the victims’ families demand.

Ahn, who resigned from the NPAD co-chairmanship after the party’s crushing defeat in the by-elections in July, showed up after a month out of the public eye to attend the regular parliamentary session that began on Monday.

However, the software tycoon-turned-politician still distanced himself from the ferry accident, skipping a general meeting of the Assembly and the party’s street protest.

As a result, Ahn, once seen as the favorite in the 2012 presidential election, has found himself losing ground in the run up to the next presidential election.

“I plan to meet as many people as possible and listen to them,” Ahn said.