Moves to realign the South Korean political community received fresh momentum Thursday after a leading contender for next year's presidential election said he would push to create a new party next month.
Talk of a political realignment resurfaced last week when the ruling Uri Party suffered humiliating defeats in parliamentary and local by-elections, which were seen as another test of voter sentiment ahead of the December 2007 presidential polls.
On Thursday, Goh Kun, a former prime minister who is not currently affiliated with any political party, told a forum that he would promote launching a new political group in December, when the ongoing parliamentary regular session is over.
"I want to play the role of a foundation stone in establishing a new nationally based political party that brings together all middle-of-the-road, pragmatic, reformist forces," Goh said.
"I exchanged opinions with several incumbent lawmakers, and most of them shared the need to launch a new party to ease the national crisis," he said. "The door to a new nationally based party is open to anyone."
Goh is one of three front-runners who have intentions to run in the elections to replace President Roh Moo-hyun, whose single five-year term ends in February 2008. The others are Lee Myung-bak, the former mayor of Seoul and a member of the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP), and Park Geun-hye, the former GNP chairwoman.
Several politicians in the ruling party also intend to run for the presidency, but early opinion polls showed them lagging far behind the three major candidates. The surveys attributed their low ratings to the slumping economy, unsatisfactory reform measures and the festering North Korean nuclear tension.
The Uri Party lost all nine parliamentary and local by-elections on Oct. 25 to the GNP and other small opposition parties, triggering an internal feuding over how to refurbish the party.
Earlier Thursday, the Uri Party held what appears to be its fiercest debate in months over in-house reform measures in a meeting of incumbent lawmakers.
At the center of discussion was whether the party should merge with other political forces such as Goh as a way to win the presidential election, party officials said. Some press reports predicted earlier that the Uri Party would eventually be split in two while arguing over reform procedures.
After the meeting, Noh Woong-rae, a deputy floor leader of the Uri Party, told reporters that party members agreed on the need to revamp, but decided to work out specific measures in December.
"Regarding a political redrawing, we'll hold a discussion in an orderly, systemic and in-depth manner," Noh said.
GNP candidates criticized the Uri Party and Goh for pushing for a political realignment.
"Political parties should focus on policies and should not get together with certain politicians only as an election strategy," Lee, the GNP candidate, told reporters. "An artificial political regrouping is not appropriate."
Seoul, Nov. 2 (Yonhap News)
Key presidential hopeful vows to create new political party |
