Factional feud will ease when Pres. Park accepts Rep. Yoo

The ruling Saenuri Party has been embroiling in internal feud anew following the emergency committee’s decision to accept Rep. Yoo Seung-min’s return, only a week after the party vowed eradication of factions and establishment of unity. The current infight is more severe than the internal strife soon after its humiliating loss in the April general elections. Emergency Committee Chairman Kim Hee-ok went into isolation while denying handling party affairs, and even mentioned his agony over possible resignation. Some hardline Pro-Park Geun-hye lawmakers have launched collective actions as if they are moving to reverse the emergency committee’s decision. Saenuri floor leader Chung Jin-seok cannot afford to do anything due to his alleged responsibility for the fiasco. It is pitiful to see the ruling party, which should spearhead the administration of state affairs and operation of the National Assembly, is only adding to burden instead.

In reality, strictly speaking the dispute over Yoo is not an issue between pro-Park and non-Park lawmakers, but a problem between President Park and Rep Yoo, who don’t get along with each other. The issue should have ended with Yoo’s resignation as floor leader after he was labeled as "politics of betrayal" by the president. But it escalated into the disruptions in the nomination of Saenuri’s candidates, as pro-Park lawmakers upheld Park’s intent and attempted to kick out Yoo, which eventually led to his defection from the party and running for the elections as independent candidate. When we look into the outcome, however, the choice by President Park and pro-Park lawmakers were not accepted by the public. Then, it is an obligation of politicians who must follow public opinion to withdraw their ill-advised decision. The Saenuri Party is neither a party of President Park nor that of pro-Park lawmakers, but a flagship political party that is representing the conservative forces in the nation.

During the 18th general elections in 2008, Park and pro-Park lawmakers also similarly suffered pain and had difficulties. As the then pro-Lee Myung-bak faction staged "nomination massacre," pro-Park politicians countered by defecting from the party en masse, and managed to secure 26 seats including regional representation and proportional representative seats. Park rolled up her sleeves to have them return to the party despite objection by pro-Lee lawmakers, and eventually made it happen. When then President Lee said, "There are no pro-Lee, and pro-Park," Park countered by saying, "If there is no such a thing, it would be rather okay to have them return to the party, and pressured the party’s leadership to officially discuss their return to the party. Then, how come President Park and pro-Park lawmakers fail to reflect their past?

Moreover, we are not living in the era of "three Kims" (Kim Young-sam, Kim Dae-jung, and Kim Jong-pil) when president would double as emperor-like chairman of the ruling party. Whether a lawmaker can return to a party or not is not an issue that the president can and should interfere with. The biggest reason pro-Park lawmakers oppose the decision to accept Yoo’s return would be their consideration about Park. After all, only when Park embraces Yoo to solve the problem of her own making, internal feud of the Saenuri Party will end, and the task of dismantling factions be addressed. It is lamentable to see President Park fail to embrace Yoo, even after having urged unity of the people and vowing cooperative ruling with the opposition party.

이진녕 jinnyong@donga.com