Kim Moo-sung declares disconnection with pro-president faction

Kim Moo-sung declares disconnection with pro-president faction. November. 24, 2016 07:11. by Jae-Myoung Lee, Kyung-Suk Kang egija@donga.com,coolup@donga.com. Former Saenuri Party Chairman Kim Moo-sung declared Wednesday that he will not run for president. It is the first declaration by a potential presidential candidate in the leading party. Kim instead said he will lead the move to impeach the president. With the key person in non-mainstream sector in the ruling party announcing a complete disconnection with the pro-Park Geun-hye faction, the impeachment movement is likely to speed up. There is also possibility of more members leaving the party by leveraging impeachment, which could lead to a new political landscape ahead of the presidential election next year.

"I will give up running for president, which was the last dream of my political career," Kim said at a press conference on the day. "Politics means taking responsibility when one needs to. As a person who took charge of launching the Park Geun-hye administration and former party leader, I will take the lead and drop everything."

"President Park betrayed the public. A president who violated constitution should be impeached," Kim claimed. "Though the opposition parties are hesitating to move for impeachment with petty tricks, I will lead impeachment motion with an aim to create a new conservatism and be responsible for the sake of the public."

"I can't neglect that the crisis of conservatism, which President Park caused, would trigger the collapse of conservatism," he added. "I will become the grain of wheat for the rebirth of rational conservatism by cutting out the disease of conservatism. I will take the lead in excluding bipolization politics and create democratic governance."

Kim's comments can be interpreted as his willingness to promote political reform from the side of leading party with impeachment movement as a driver.