Yoo becoming political big shot

By Jun Ji-hye

Rep. Yoo Seong-min

Rep. Yoo Seong-min’s support base is expanding despite the fact that he resigned as floor leader of the governing Saenuri Party Wednesday after President Park Geun-hye pressured him to quit.

The three-term lawmaker is now being touted as a potential presidential candidate.

The latest survey conducted by pollster Realmeter on the day he resigned showed that Yoo is the second most preferred choice to be a presidential runner for the conservative bloc after the ruling party chairman, Rep. Kim Moo-sung.

Yoo’s approval rating stood at 16.8 percent, dramatically up by 11.4 percentage points compared to last month. The difference between Yoo and Kim’s ratings was only 2.3 percentage points.

Yoo’s resignation came as the presidential office and lawmakers who follow the President pressured him to do so for the last two weeks, urging him to take responsibility for orchestrating passage of a controversial revision to the National Assembly Law, which Park believed challenged her authority.

During a news conference at which he announced his resignation, Yoo indirectly criticized Park, implying that she has damaged the value of the Constitution which stipulates the separation of powers.

Former lawmaker of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy Kim Boo-kyum praised Yoo, calling him a rational and righteous conservative figure, and a hope for conservative forces.

“Yoo is a sincere politician in this world filled with those who only want to satisfy their desire for power,” Kim said Thursday. “I don’t understand why the President treated him coldly.”

Some members of Yoo’s own party also stood behind the former floor leader.

Lee Jun-seok, a Saenuri Party member, said President Park is a complete loser in the power game between her and Yoo, although it was the latter who resigned.

“If a new floor leader tries to support Park’s intention, opposition parties will openly criticize him or her, which will make it more difficult to pass Park’s economic stimulation policies in the National Assembly,” Lee said. “Then, the public will think there is every reason for the criticism.”

Experts say it remains to be seen how long Yoo’s popularity will last.

Bae Jong-chan, the chief director at political pollster Research and Research, said whether or not he is on the road to success as a politician totally depends on what he does next.

“His increasing popularity may not be real support toward him. It could be from those who hate President Park, not those who support him,” Bae said. “In addition, the fact that he confronted President Park anyway could be an obstacle to his future career, which means he could be left out of the party nomination in the 2016 general elections.”

Yoo is a native of Daegu, Park’s stronghold. His constituency is also Daegu B where a considerable number of Park’s supporters live.

Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye