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| Officials of the candidate nomination panel of the Civil Together, a minor party created by pro-Moon Jae-in civic groups and several minor liberal parties, prepare to screen proportional representation candidates at their headquarters on Yeouido, Seoul, Sunday. The party is serving as a "satellite party" of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). The Civil Together Party's logo has the same font and color as that of the DPK. Yonhap |
By Jung Da-min
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is undergoing internal feud over the list of its proportional representation candidates who will be members of its "satellite party," Civil Together.
Last week, the ruling party decided to cooperate with Civil Together, a minor party created by pro-Moon Jae-in civic groups and several minor liberal parties, in a bid to win more proportional representation seats in the April 15 general election under the new electoral system. Some DPK members have left the ruling party and joined the Civil Together to run under the ticket of the "paper party" with plans to return to the DPK after the election.
The Civil Together and the DPK initially said candidates from the civic groups and the minor parties would get priority on the proportional representation list above the "former" DPK members ― a pledge to ensure the Civil Together candidates reflected the views of the minor groups more.
The Civil Together nomination panel decided to give the minor parties the first 10 spots on the list, giving them a higher chance of getting a seat, and put the DPK members lower down.
But some DPK members, including Kim Hong-gul, the youngest son of the late former President Kim Dae-jung, have publicly opposed the decision, even disparaging the top 10 candidates.
"Many DPK members and supporters do not understand why they have to vote for such unknown candidates with little presence," a statement issued by the former DPK members said Sunday.
"In this situation, the DPK leadership is not making an effort to put us forward on the list but rather it keeps saying we will be further back on the list. The Civil Together initially promised it would not recruit members for its own candidates but it is now doing so, and the DPK leadership is not protesting it."
They said the Open Minjoo Party could be another threat. It is another minor party created by "former" DPK members Chung Bong-joo and Rep. Sohn Hye-won, which also targets proportional representation seats. It has 20 candidates who are mostly Moon's former aides, including former presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyum and former secretary for civil service oversight Choe Kang-wook.
Responding to this, DPK general secretary Yun Ho-jung told reporters at the National Assembly, Sunday, that he delivered the message to the Civil Together nomination panel. "There has been no response from Civil Together regarding the matter yet," Yun said.
But there is little possibility for the nominations to be changed, as Rep. Park Kwang-on, a member of the DPK's Supreme Council, told reporters that "a public party cannot reverse its promise made to the public."
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