Moon Jae-in to find a breakthrough by recruiting new figures

Moon Jae-in to find a breakthrough by recruiting new figures. January. 04, 2016 12:57. alwaysj@donga.com.

When Rep. Kim Han-gil, senior leader of the main opposition party’s non-mainstream faction, quit the party on Sunday, Minjoo Party Chairman Moon Jae-in made his determination to make “head-on breakthrough” even clearer. Scouting Kim Byeong-gwan, board chairman of Webzen Games, to the party, Moon set the counter fire to Kim’s departure. “There will be a political reshuffle for regions where lawmakers would not run for the election or quit the party. The focus would be to transfuse fresher blood for the party,” said Moon. Deciding the departure of non-mainstream figures from the party as “anti-innovation," he was making it clear that new figures will be sent to the areas where lawmakers quit the party to make a “major reshuffle.”

Born in North Jeolla Province and having served as president of NHN Games and Webzen Games, Kim Byeong-gwan is a rival horse against Ahn Cheol-soo. “While the company where he (Ahn) is the president would be a good company, it could be difficult to see transparent process for decision-making," Kim said at the joining ceremony. "I will not be infected with the dark side. Instead, I will be someone who spreads the innovation spirit.”

Other figures from “original pro-Roh faction (pro Roh Moo-hyun) such as Rep. Lee Hae-chan and Gov. Ahn Hee-jung of South Chungcheong Province are up for saving Moon Jae-in. At Bongha Village in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, Lee said, “Let’s move ahead with Moon.” Although he was demanded not to run for the election by pro-Roh faction at the end of last year, he is holding fast to run for the election.

“All the leaders of the opposition party should unite with party’s constitution and regulations,”the South Chungcheong governor said, targeting at Ahn Cheol-soo who left the party. “The pro-Roh faction is gathering together to save beleaguered Moon, but it’s questionable whether this would be helpful for the party,” a party leadership said.

While Moon and his faction are making all-out effort to bring new figures to tackle the continuous departure from the party, there seems to be no clue for the head of election polling committee. Although the criteria for the position have been decided as “a man of high reputation,” almost all the figures on the list have refused for the possibility. Moon said that the party has narrowed down the list of candidates for the position, but sources in the party say the committee could be postponed due to the delay in appointment of the polling committee chairman.