Saenuri needs 'servant leadership': Rep. Lee

By Kim Hyo-jin

Lee Jung-hyun, a three-term lawmaker of the ruling Saenuri Party, is a rare politician who overcame deep-rooted regionalism to win his seat in the legislature.

The 58-year-old lawmaker won re-election in April in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province ― a traditional stronghold for liberals.

He has now set a new goal. He recently began a bid to become the leader of the conservative party ― a bold move for a politician who was born in the Jeolla region. If he makes it, it will also be a remarkable moment in Korean political history.

A close aide to President Park Geun-hye, Lee vowed as party leader to support the administration during the remainder of its term.

Lee believes that his unconventional attitude during the campaign successfully appealed to the public, and that the party can restore confidence in it if he makes this part of the general culture among his fellow lawmakers.

“I have kept myself low, treating voters as genuine power-holders. I’d call it servant leadership,” Lee said during an interview with The Korea Times.

Lee stressed that he tried to meet as many voters as possible in person over the past two years.

While listening to their concerns canvassing with a backpack and a bicycle, he saw many people warm up to him and became sure that a politician being “humble and hard-working” is what the public needs now, he said.

“I’m running for the leadership post to make it a culture inside the party. That is the only way to bring back public confidence and to pave the way to victory in the upcoming presidential election,” he said.

The party plans to hold a caucus on August 9 to elect its new chief. But it is now questionable if he can realize his hopes as he is currently in the hot seat following media reports about his involvement in attempting to control media coverage while he was serving as senior presidential press secretary in 2014.

He is accused of having pressured Kim Si-gon, former newsroom chief of the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) to tone down critical reports on the failed rescue operation by the now-defunct Korea Coast Guard for the capsized ferry Sewol.

While taking flak from opposition parties for Cheong Wa Dae’s alleged control of the state-run media’s news coverage, Lee has not flinched, nor withdrawn his candidacy.

Lee’s surprising victory in the April 13 general election was in contrast to the party’s poor performance.

The ruling Saenuri Party, which previously held a majority of 157 seats, fell to being the second largest party with 122 seats following the 123 seats of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK).

At the center of the criticism over the party’s incompetence was the nominations process controlled by party members close to the President, which was viewed as lopsided in favor of pro-Park members.

Despite being categorized as a pro-Park lawmaker, Lee vehemently blamed the party’s senior officials for involving themselves in the controversy and abusing their power. He vowed to introduce a rule-bound system to the party if elected to be leader.

“The party has been operated by a handful of bigwigs, dragged down by the personal interests of a few. The public has disappeared from politicians’ sight,” he said.

“I’m ready to reform the party to the core by implanting rules and protocols in the decision-making process so discretion can be maintained.”

Bold reform plans

The 20th National Assembly is filled with calls to reduce excessive privileges and benefits enjoyed by lawmakers as a means to alleviate the deep-rooted mistrust the public harbors toward the legislature.

While some lawmakers outline a set of self-reform measures, Lee takes a somewhat different approach. He proposes forming a public commission to review all the prerogatives given to lawmakers, saying the move should come especially in 2018, the year marking the 70th anniversary of the National Assembly.

“What I mean by all the privileges, it literally applies to every single benefit enjoyed by Assemblymen, not only the much-talked about parliamentary immunity from apprehension or prosecution,” he said.

“Politicians should just step back and let the public do the job. A public commission solely consisting of ordinary citizens to inspect the legislature is what we need.”

A thorough inspection should be extended to check whether the legislative procedure is operating efficiently, Lee said, pointing out the sloppy deliberation of the annual budget.

“People would faint if they know how roughly lawmakers review the budget plan, which amounts to 386 trillion won this year,” he said.

“Not many lawmakers can actually read the documents describing the administration’s budget plan, and worse, they just spend their time questioning public officials about ongoing political issues when the budgetary committee opens.”

“I’m determined to reform such backpedalling practices. Seeking help from the Board of Audit and Inspection when deliberating the proposed budget could be one way.”

Open competition

The ruling party’s leadership race has heated up with multiple lawmakers launching their candidacies. The new party leaders will play a critical role in preparing for the presidential election in 2017.

So far, Lee Ju-young, a pro-Park lawmaker and former oceans and fisheries minister, and Kim Yong-tae, a three-term lawmaker who do not follow Park, have launched their bids. Still, many others including Reps. Choi Kyung-hwan, Hong Moon-jong, Won Yoo-chul, Chung Byoung-gug, most of them Park followers, are expected to join the race.

While some call for candidates from the same faction to join hands and put up a single candidate to raise the chance for victory, Lee made it clear that he is not for this.

“I believe in the benefits of open competition,” he said. “The party has already suffered a division while embroiled in a blame game after a crushing defeat in the general election. If there’s a conflict among candidates while going through backdoor negotiations, it would worsen such a state, not to mention the public would hate us more for repeating the practice of excluding them.”

Lee hopes to apply the sheer competition framework to the party’s primary for the 2017 presidential election.

He said he will propose a contest format similar to “Superstar K,” where contestants compete every week with one being eliminated after each performance until there is a final winner.

“While the party has yet to have an outstanding presidential candidate, it could be an efficient format to not only draw public attention but also to strengthen a candidate’s capability,” Lee said. “In that setting, they will compete through debates and the public will vote for the person who appears to be more capable and reliable with their pledges.”

He added that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, viewed as a potential presidential candidate of the ruling party, is no exception.