The newly elected leader of the ruling Saenuri Party is expected to appoint key party posts this week as he moves to prepare for next year's all-important presidential election.
"Party leader Lee Jung-hyun is moving to name newly created positions and fill those that have been left vacant in the wake of the general election defeat in April," a senior official said, who declined to be identified.
Rep. Lee, a three-term lawmaker and a confidant of President Park Geun-hye, was elected last Tuesday with the strong backing of the faction loyal to the chief executive. Besides Lee, four of the five members of the decision-making Supreme Council have been filled with so-called pro-Park loyalists.
Of the positions to be filled, key attention is being focused on that of the party affairs and audit committee chief who will be responsible for reorganizing the nationwide chapter structure that effectively collapsed after the election debacle.
"This move is a critical first step to get the party ready for the presidential poll set for late next year," the source said.
He did not go into details, but "unqualified" chapter chiefs will likely be switched in the coming weeks after a thorough and fair performance evaluation.
The party leader under existing rules is barred from running for president himself, although he will be in charge of organizing the primary elections, as well as backing Saenuri's candidate in the presidential race.
In addition, Lee will pick the chair of a party committee charged with a national consensus building strategy that will be charged with keeping close tabs on public opinion, including those circulating in social media and the mobile Internet space so it can be reflected in party policy measures.
In addition, the new party chief will select the new head of the Youido Institute, Saenuri's think tank, and the head of a newly formed civil complaint registration center, which will be responsible for collecting and delivering grievances by the people to lawmakers.
"Lee will pay particular emphasis on unity and overcoming factionalism when making the appointments," another party insider stressed. "There will be 'balance' and 'harmony' in the posts that will be filled, especially since the Supreme Council has been filled with Park loyalists."
This remark may indicate that lawmakers who are not necessarily close to President Park may be tapped for positions in the party.
Besides the newly created posts and those that have been left vacant, Lee will take his time in changing existing office holders, such as the party's Secretary-General Park Myung-jae, who was appointed in late June.
The party's spokesman Ji Sang-wuk, however, will be changed as he already asked to be relieved from his duties.
Lee may pick more than one spokesmen with at least one representing Saenuri chapter chiefs who are not lawmakers.
There are growing expectations that Lee, who has emphasized the importance of listening to what the people think on a grass-roots level, will strengthen the spokesman's office, so the ruling party can better communicate with the general public.
Saenuri, meanwhile, will convene a meeting of its national standing committee to give its stamp of approval for the new organizations and revisions to existing party rules. (Yonhap)