Presidential race picks up speed ahead of Ban’s return to Korea

Presidential race picks up speed ahead of Ban’s return to Korea. January. 09, 2017 07:05. by Jae-Myoung Lee egija@donga.com.

Ruling and opposition party are speeding up their push to run for the upcoming presidential election ahead of former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s return to Korea on Thursday.

Choo Mi-ae, chairwoman of the main opposition Minjoo Party, said Sunday that her party will officially work on rules for competition to select its standard bearer in preparation for an early presidential election. The tentatively called "New Conservative Party for Reform," whose members collectively bolted from the ruling Saenuri Party, confirmed "the Bareun (Righteous) Party" as its official name on Sunday, and plans to hold a policy forum with presidential candidates that will involve Rep. Yoo Seung-min and others on Friday.

In Myung-jin, chairman of the Saenuri Party’s emergency committee, started full-fledged struggle with Reps. Seo Chung-won and Choi Kyung-hwan on the day by stressing "reserved personnel liquidation." Both ruling and opposition parties thus started internal processes to prepare for direct competition or a coalition with the former U.N. chief.

“We will complete the registration of preliminary presidential candidates before Lunar New Year’s Day to hold internal competition among candidates in the party,” said Choo Mi-ae in her New Year’s press conference on Sunday. “I will meet with (presidential candidates) one by one, and collect opinions (regarding rules for election of our candidate).” Choo thus expressed her intention to serve as arbitrator amid intensifying duel between the pro-Moon (Jae-in) group and the non-Moon group due to ramifications of a document on how to curb constitutional amendment, which had been drafted by the party’s official think tank Minjoo (Democracy) Institute. Seoul Mayor Park Won-won blasted Moon Jae-in the same day by saying, “Moon Jae-in, who represents the force of the privileged, is a target of liquidation and should not be the driver of liquidation.”

In, who volunteered to serve as a pillar of restructuring of the ruling party for the presidential election, also said, “We should not reshuffle here and there by expanding the scope of restructuring.” He thus rearmed himself with the "theory of reserved personnel restructuring," and directly took aim at key members of the pro-Park (Geun-hye) faction in the party. Saenuri's emergency committee leader seems to have gained upper hand in the race to win supporters to consolidate his leadership, since some 68 Saenuri lawmakers have chosen to let In decide their fate by Sunday. However, Rep. Seo declared "do-or-die struggle" (with In) by saying that he will file a complaint with court against In and floor leader Chung Woo-taek on the charge of obstruction of justice through violation of rules and coercion, and seek court injunction to suspend the authority of In and Chung.