Candidates embrace figures formerly from rival parties

By Kang Seung-woo

Yesterday's enemies have become allies, with candidates recruiting politicians from rival parties as part of efforts to appeal to centrist voters in the lead-up to next year's presidential election, which is anticipated to be closely contested.

Former Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Keum Tae-sup / Korea Times photo

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) seems to be ahead of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) in the race to expand their support bases.

After employing veteran campaigner Kim Chong-in, who helped President Moon Jae-in win Cheong Wa Dae, and Kim Han-gil who had been chief of a predecessor party of the DPK, the PPP has also added Keum Tae-sup, a former DPK lawmaker, to its presidential election committee.

Keum quit the DPK in October last year after denouncing the party for its “arrogance, self-righteousness and partisan antagonism.”

“Recently, a party (DPK) member was suspended for eight months due to his disapproval of its presidential candidate's pledge,” Keum wrote on Facebook, Friday.

Keum cited Jeju National University professor Lee Sang-yi, whose party membership was suspended for eight months for criticizing DPK presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung's basic income policy, which aims to give up to 1 million won ($852) to each citizen and an additional 1 million won to every young adult per year.

Kim Kwan-young / Korea Times file

“Since I left the DPK one year ago, nothing has changed within the party,” he added.

While at the DPK, Keum, a lawyer-turned-politician, was also censured for refusing to vote along party lines on a bill to create an investigative body to handle crimes connected to high-ranking officials.

“Keum will represent some threats to the DPK,” political critic Chin Jung-kwon said in a radio interview, Tuesday.

Also, independent lawmaker Lee Yong-ho, the lone non-DPK lawmaker representing a district in the North and South Jeolla provinces which are the ruling party's stronghold, has also joined the PPP. Until recently, the DPK had courted Lee to join its side.

In response, the DPK announced, Wednesday, that two former conservative lawmakers, Kim Kwan-young and Chae Yi-bae, will join the liberal side, Friday. Kim had been a floor leader of the now-defunct minor conservative Bareunmirae Party and Chae was the party's policymaker, and both are regarded as reasonable and moderate politicians.

In addition, the ruling party is working on bringing back those who left the party such as former presidential candidate Chung Dong-young and former Justice Minister Chun Jung-bae, both of whom were with the now-defunct minor opposition Democratic Peace Party.

Some DPK members loyal to President Moon Jae-in have been opposed to them joining the DPK, but the DPK candidate has claimed that the party should join forces with the politicians who have been away from the party for a while over some differences in political positions.

Meanwhile, Lee Jae-myung said, Thursday, that the DPK has failed to live up to expectations despite its majority position in the National Assembly.

“The public expected that the DPK could have dealt with pending issues with speed and precision, but the party did not,” Lee said during a launching ceremony for the party's innovation promotion committee in Seoul.

PPP presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol met with representatives of the Korea Enterprises Federation to discuss way to create jobs and ease regulations.