Ex-PM shifts to politics, backed by Park Geun-hye loyalists

Then-acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn walks into a meeting room to preside over a Cabinet meeting at the government complex in Seoul in this March 14, 2017 file photo. / Korea Times file

By Park Ji-won

Former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn's move to join the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) is drawing mixed reactions from inside and outside the party.

The LKP announced that Hwang will have a press conference on Tuesday after joining the party to speak about his determination as a conservative politician.

Hwang served as acting president after the impeachment of then President Park Geun-hye in late 2016 until May 11, 2017, after the presidential election. He has been listed as one of the leading presidential contenders among conservatives in opinion polls.

“Many people asked me why I would join the LKP now. Some say I should have joined the party earlier or later if I wanted to run for president,” Hwang said in a post to Facebook on Sunday.

“However, most importantly, I should think about the country and people first rather than me as they are suffering.”

Many expect he would run for president in 2022. Even though he didn't openly declare his candidacy, many say he will do so as there are not many contenders in the conservative camp who are more popular than him.

To reach that goal, insiders expected his next step will be running for the party's leadership bid which is scheduled to be held at the end of February; if elected, he will largely influence the party with his nomination rights in the general election in 2020.

Also, his presence in the party will likely give loyalists to Park Geun-hye a chance to become more vocal. The group became silent after Park's impeachment, but are likely to become vocal again after Na Kyung-won's election as the floor leader of the LKP as she won the position with their support.

Critics say Hwang's move is expected to spark a factional dispute within the party. Park loyalists would likely support Hwang, while rival factions are supporting another political heavyweight, former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon who is preparing to run in the election.

“If he wins the leadership, he may become a bone of contention in the factional dispute because it means the party accepted a key figure who worked for the government of the impeached Park Geun-hye,” Kim Jong-wook, a research professor at Dongguk University, told YTN.

Some party members also expressed worries over his possible leadership bid as he played a major role in the Park administration, while some insiders expect his membership will boost the party's support rating.

“I would like to question him whether he didn't think about the possibility that his bid would have a negative impact on the conservatives' effort for political revival,” Rep. Shim Jae-cheol of the LKP said.

“I would welcome him as an LKP member not leader.”

Hong Hyung-sik, the manager of pollster Hangil Research, said, “He may be the best choice for unity of conservatives, but not for returning to power.”