South Korean Politics and Elections

Parties in Fierce Battles Outside of Strongholds

Donga Iblo, April 3, 2007

In the 17th general elections, the Grand National Party had a mere 0.4 percent of votes in the Jeolla provinces.

Although the party has candidates in all 31 districts of the Jeolla region, as of now, not one of their candidates is likely to be elected there. Though recent polls show one of their candidates in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province, ranking second, support still lags far behind the leading candidate.

The conservative ruling party got one candidate elected in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province in the 15th general elections in 1996 when the party was then called the New Korea Party. Since then, however, the party has failed to elect a single candidate in the Jeolla provinces.

The focus of much attention is whether the GNP will be able to record double-digit approval ratings in the region. In the previous 17th general elections, the party’s support was 0.4 percent. Most recently, the party’s then-presidential candidate, President Lee Myung-bak, received 8.9 percent of the region’s votes.

The United Democratic Party is in a neck-and-neck race in two constituencies in the Yeongnam region (Gyeongsang provinces).

If the UDP can elect two candidates in the southeastern part of Korea, this will be a big victory for a party that has recently seen defeats. The party’s presidential candidate lost in last year’s presidential election, and the party is expected to come short of its target of 100 seats in the upcoming general elections.

Recent surveys show two UDP candidates in a close contest in Saha-eul, Busan and Gimhae-eul, South Gyeongsang Province, former President Roh Moo-hyun’s hometown. Meanwhile, three to four are running in second place in recent polls, though none of them are within range of winning.

The UDP’s predecessor, the Uri Party, won four seats in the region in the 17th general elections, following a backlash to the attempted impeachment of President Roh.

The Liberty Forward Party wants to change its image as a regional party.

The LFP is doing its utmost to get a seat outside the Chungcheong provinces, as it is criticized for being a one-region party. Although the leaders of the party, including party head, Lee Hoi-chang, are looking for opportunities elsewhere, the best the party is doing now is in Daegu and Gangwon, where two of their candidates are in second place.

The Pro-Park Alliance is fighting desperately outside Yeongnam where Park Geun-hye’s influence is not as strong. According to recent polls, its candidates are in close contests in Yeoju-Icheon and Ansan Sangnok-eul, Gyeonggi Province. The chairman of the party, Seo Cheong-won, listed as the No. 2 proportional representation candidate of the party, said, “Our party will make Park Geun-hye the country’s next president in five years.”

Will many independent candidates be elected?

In the 14th general elections, 21 independents were elected. Since then, their numbers have declined to 16 seats in the 15th, five in the 16th and two in the 17th. Experts say, as the country’s party system stabilizes, the number of independents usually declines under a single-seat electoral system.

However, recent public opinion polls show independents leading in roughly 17 constituencies, while 10 candidates are within the margin of error behind leading candidates. Many of them who failed to receive nominations from their former parties are running in the Gyeongsang and Jeolla provinces.

It is too early to say whether elected independents will help overcome regionalism in Korea, as they are likely to return to their former party, once elected.

Plan to Question Candidate Criticized

Korea Times, February 17, 2008

By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter

The United New Democratic Party (UNDP) Sunday criticized the prosecution's plan to question UNDP presidential candidate Chung Dong-young over allegations that he slandered another candidate during the last presidential campaign.

``Political retaliation has started even before the new government is inaugurated,'' the party's spokesman Rep. Woo sang-ho said in a statement.

The spokesman said prosecutors' politically motivated action will face public resistance.

Prosecutors denied it and said they need to know at least whether or not Chung spread un-founded accusation as complaints requesting the investigation were filed with authorities.

Chung, who competed on the UNDP's ticket against then candidate Lee Myung-bak in
December's election, is charged with slandering Lee and the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP).

The prosecution will investigate allegations that his remarks against Lee, now the President-elect, and his party, violated the Election Law, according to officials.

The GNP and Lee's supporters filed complaints against Chung for his alleged false accusation against Lee during the campaign. The UNDP candidate called Lee ``a former business partner'' of Kim Kyung-joon, a key figure involved in a financial scam.

hkang@koreatimes.co.kr

Roh accepts disgraced spy chief's resignation

The Hankyoreh, February 11, 2008

President Roh Moo-hyun Monday accepted the resignation of spy agency chief Kim Man-bok, who has been accused of leaking classified inter-Korean documents to the media, presidential spokesperson Cheon Ho-seon said.

Roh's acceptance of Kim's resignation came nearly one month after the chief of the National Intelligence Service offered to step down over the leak of controversial excerpts of his dialogue with his North Korean counterpart in Pyongyang on the eve of the Dec. 19 presidential polls in South Korea.

In the conversation with Kim Yang-gon, a confidant of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, the NIS chief was quoted as saying that Lee Myung-bak would inherit Roh's North Korea policies after winning the presidential election. Kim was suspected of intentionally making his remarks public in Pyongyang in an effort to seek political favors from President-elect Lee.

Roh delayed making a decision on whether to accept the spy chief's resignation, citing the "ambiguous" nature of the leaked document. Legal experts have been divided over Kim's alleged violation of the law governing the protection of classified documents.

SEOUL, Feb. 11 (Yonhap)

Troubled Labor Party Leader Resigns

Korea Times, February 4, 2008

By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter

In a move that is expected to accelerate a breakup of the Democratic Labor Party (DLP), the party's head stepped down Monday taking responsibility for failing to revamp the party suffering an internal rift.

Rep. Sim Sang-jeong, who temporarily led the party on behalf of the party leadership, resigned as chairwoman of the party's emergency committee over the rejection of the party reform plan during a national convention a day earlier.

As the party failed to settle disputes and narrow the opinion gap in the convention, which party members called the last chance to retain the party, the minority party will likely face a split soon.

``Yesterday, we witnessed that obsolete rules still control the party. I apologize for having failed to meet the demand from the public for party reform and I think I should take the responsibility,'' Sim told reporters at the National Assembly.

Some party members, who shared a sense of need for party reform, are moving to leave the party.

A major bone of contention for the party was whether or not to deprive people engaged in pro-Pyongyang activities of their party membership as part of efforts to shed its North Korea-friendly image.

Mainstreamers within the party, which is more critical toward the United States and favorable toward the North, opposed the plan, while the smaller faction, called the equalitarian group, insisted that the reform is a necessary sacrifice for the party to regain public trust.

In Sunday's convention, 553 of 862 party delegates voted against the reform plan which would have deprived former Vice Secretary-General Choi Ki-young and former Supreme Council member Lee Jung-hoon of their party membership.

The two figures, known as members of the pro-Pyongyang group Ilsimhoe within the party, allegedly met North Korean spies and leaked information on the DLP to North Korea on a regular basis.

Twenty-three members of the smaller faction already left the party and more officials are expected to follow suit over dissatisfaction at the rejection of the reform plan.

Sim and