South Korean Politics and Elections

Roh bemoans the condition of Korea’s politics

Says that presidential hopefuls are ‘unfaithful’ and ‘unreliable’

JoongAng Daily, May 3, 2007

President Roh Moo-hyun yesterday expressed disappointment with the nation’s political leaders.
“Politics here are dominated by shallow calculations to win presidential and parliamentary elections,” he said in a letter posted on the Web site of the presidential office.

“I am writing because I am worried that Korean politics today lack basic principles and are in danger of setting back democracy in South Korea,” he wrote.

Roh did not name any specific candidates in his posting, but he warned all politicians against depending on regionalism. He also accused the presidential hopefuls of being “unfaithful, unreliable and undetermined.”

The Grand National Party candidates Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak lead in the polls for president. “President Roh did nothing but criticize the presidential candidates today,” said Yoo Ki-june, spokesman for the Grand National Party. “What people want from Roh is not making political remarks, but paying full attention to the nation’s governance.”

Park and Lee have been feuding since the conservative Grand National Party had a poor showing in last month’s by-elections.

In addition, the recent withdrawal of the pro-government prospective presidential candidate, Chung Un-chan, surprised the Uri Party.

Roh told the presidential aspirants that they should be decisive, self-confident and speak with conviction.

Commenting on last week’s by-election, he said he did not understand why the Grand National Party keeps saying that the election had been a “crushing failure” for them, since he thought the pro-government Uri Party was the biggest loser.

“I think they are missing the fact that the Uri Party again failed to win any seats in the by-elections,” he said. “The party is now in serious trouble and I’m responsible for that.”

The posting combined two letters the president had written but not previously released. Roh wrote one of them on April 23, two days before the by-election, and the other on April 27, after independents won most contested seats.

By Lee Min-a Staff Writer/ Kim Jung-wook JoongAng Ilbo
[mina@joongang.co.kr]

Head of In-House Think Tank Urges GNP to Seek All-Out Reform

Korea Times, April 27, 2007

By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter

The Grand National Party (GNP) should pursue reform in such a way as to set rules ensuring party leaders become equal partners with presidential contenders, said Rep. Yim Tae-hee of the main opposition party.

In an interview with The Korea Times, the chief of the in-house think tank Youido Institute (YDI) pointed out the current system put party leaders under the influence of presidential contenders.

Amid the heated debate over whether the party leadership should leave the party or not, second-term lawmaker Yim pointed out the real issue is not about who becomes the next leader of the party.

``The key lesson learned from the by-elections is that voters demanded the GNP seek all-out reform. They are sick and tired of the ongoing infighting between the Big 2 _ presidential hopefuls Lee Myung-bak and Rep. Park Geun-hye,'' he said.

He said if party leader is fully empowered, he or she would be able to serve as a fair umpire during the party primaries, while the leadership has to make sure all contenders take a binding oath to play by the rules before and after the primaries.

The leader also has to convince losers not to betray presidential candidates during campaigns, Rep.Yim added.

``YDI polls have indicated over 50 percent of respondents are swing voters and are willing to withdraw their support for a presidential candidate if their onetime preferred candidate fails to present visions,'' the second-term lawmaker said.

Rep. Yim, however, presented a glimpse of hope.

``I believe the GNP still has a chance to win the December election. But the party will be a winner only when two conditions are met _ the GNP is seen as being visionary and the external political environment is supportive. The second part means forming an alliance with other minor party during the campaign will come only when the first condition is satisfied,'' he observed.

The blame game continued Thursday after the GNP's defeat in the by-elections.

Tensions were escalating among lawmakers in a special session designed for in-depth discussion of where the GNP has to head in the post by-election months.

A key agenda for the day was whether the party leadership including Rep. Kang Jae-sup, party chairman along with other key post holders, should step down or not.

Some lawmakers were vocal, claiming the incumbent leadership should depart, following in the footsteps of Kang Chang-hee and Rep. Chun Yu-ok, who had already resigned.

Rep. Nam Kyung-pil urged Friday the Big 2 to halt the blame game and listen to the public. He added it is time for them to give up their vested interests.

Party insiders said GNP leadership would announce its decision on Monday and it is still uncertain how it will turn out.

hkang@koreatimes.co.kr

Voter Turnout Tallied at 27.9 Percent

Korea Times, April 26, 2007

By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter

The National Election Commission Thursday said voter turnout in Wednesday's by-elections stood at 27.9 percent.

The turnout, 6.3 percentage points lower than the by-elections on Oct. 25 last year, is the fourth lowest since 2000.

Cheju Island recorded the highest turnout with 76.9 percent, while Yongdo-gu in Pusan hit a low of 11.3 percent, the commission said.

ksy@koreatimes.co.kr

GNP Leadership Urged to Resign Over By-Election

Chosun Daily, April 27, 2007

An unexpected defeat in Wednesday’s by-elections sparked internal trouble in the Grand National Party on Thursday, including calls for the leadership to quit. General opinion in the party is that the whole leadership should resign and hand over to an emergency committee. Two members of the governing body, Kang Chang-hee and Chun Yu-ok, stepped down.

Chun said, "A leader should take responsibility when needed." Kang said the GNP had been “arrogant as if we had already won, seeing the support for the major presidential candidates reach over 70 percent. The people are tired of watching the small-minded fights between contenders." Hwang Woo-yea, the party’s secretary-general, and other appointed party executives also submitted their resignations to chairman Kang Jae-sup.

Lawmakers Nam Kyung-pil and Park Jin said the party needs to “reconsider” its leadership. Rep. Lee Weon-bok said, "We need to break up the party and become reborn as a force of the center." But chairman Kang Jae-sup and Rep. Lee Jae-oh are against the resignation of leadership, saying it would increase confusion for the party. Unless the GNP finds a solution soon, the divisions are likely to deepen. Rep. Chun Yu-ok complained junior party members “arbitrarily nominated candidates to satisfy their greed." Congressman Go Jin-hwa laid the disaster squarely at the door of the two leading presidential contenders, the feuding Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, and the governing body.

The two contenders’ camps blamed each other. The Lee camp said "slander” from the Park side was seen as a dirty fight and played a role in the by-election defeat. Park's side said the defeat in the parliamentary seat for western Daejeon was former Seoul mayor Lee’s fault for opposing government plans to move the administrative capital there from Seoul.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Minor parties win two of three by-elections, deal blow to major opposition party

Hankyoreh, April 26, 2007

South Korea's major opposition party failed to sweep three parliamentary by