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| Rep. Park Young-sun, left, floor leader of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, attends a meeting with NPAD advisors in the National Assembly, Friday. / Yonhap |
By Kang Seung-woo
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| Rep. Park Jie-won |
Park's rise has stirred speculation about the role of her mentor and veteran politician, Rep. Park Jie-won.
Given that the female floor leader will also serve as an interim leader following the resignations of co-chairmen Kim Han-gil and Ahn Cheol-soo, party members are divided over the possibility of her role as an interim leader to spearhead reform.
On Friday Park began to seek advice from party members before deciding at Monday's general meeting of lawmakers who will lead the committee and how it should function.
In Wednesday's polls, in which 15 parliamentary seats were contested, the ruling Saenuri Party won 11 seats, including the district of Suncheon and Gokseong, South Jeolla Province ― the NPAD's formerly impregnable heartland.
If Park decides to assume the post and swiftly gets the beleaguered party back on track, she will earn credit for her statesmanship and leadership. Otherwise she will face calls to accept responsibility for the situation.
"A politician can turn out to be a winner when given a chance," said Rep. Lee Yoon-seok. "I think Park should lead the emergency committee because no one can have as much influence as Park."
Rep. Jung Cheong-rae also expected Park to assume the post.
"Rep. Moon Jae-in, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and Park Young-sun, soon to serve as the head of the emergency committee, will determine the future of the party," Jung said in a radio interview.
Assuming Park will double as committee leader, three-term lawmaker Park Jie-won, an adviser to the floor leader, is expected again to emerge as a key figure inside the party.
Park, chief of staff to former president Kim Dae-jung, is seen as a candidate to challenge for party control.
However, there are some negative reactions about the floor leader holding another position.
"If the period of activity for the emergency committee extends, Park will have trouble serving as an acting chairwoman," an NPAD lawmaker said.
Moon Hee-sang, a five-term lawmaker who also served as head of the emergency committee immediately after the 2012 presidential election, disapproved of the idea, citing the workload.
"Park is arguably the top person inside the party," he said. "But the current situation is much tougher than 2012, and with many pending issues in the National Assembly, including the Government Organization Act, I think it will be difficult for her to do both jobs."
He suggested that the party employ an experienced lawmaker or an outsider for the post.
Along with the emergency committee, the main opposition party is mulling when to hold its party convention to choose a new leadership.
The pro-Roh Moo-hyun faction is calling for an earlier convention to cement its position inside the party. Others claim the convention should be held in March, when the former co-chairmen's terms expire.
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