The ruling Uri Party deepened its dispute Friday over whether and how to disband and establish a new political group, as the leaders of main factions took joint steps in counterattacking dissenters who called for their resignation.
Leaders of the Uri Party have agreed to break up and launch a new party with a bigger membership to restore public confidence, as almost all recent opinion surveys predicted its defeat in December's presidential election.
The Uri Party, however, became embroiled into fierce infighting as a group of dissidents called on the leaders of main factions -- Kim Geun-tae, the current party chairman and Chung Dong-young, the former party chief -- to distance themselves from the process of creating the new party.
"Kim is limited to performing the role of party chairman," Kang Bong-kyun, a leading conservative voice in the liberal party, said in a newspaper interview Wednesday.
Kang, a former finance minister who serves as the party's chief policymaker, even called Kim "leftist," attributing the ruling party's sagging popularity to its push to reconcile with North Korea.
"The ruling camp's approval ratings have plunged to rock-bottom, and that is because of those who put more importance on national unity than international solidarity in terms of North Korea policy."
Two days later, Kim hit back at Kang, urging him cease his verbal accusations or steer clear of party affairs.
"If they believe Cold War era conservative values are right, they should rally behind the Grand National Party," Kim said at a party meeting.
The GNP, the conservative main opposition party, has called for a harder line on the North.
Chung, the leader of another main faction in the Uri Party, joined the fray, saying, "They have no right to determine who is O.K., and who is not O.K."
Last Thursday, Kim and Chung agreed to stop their rivalry and work together to create a new party uniting all "pro-democracy reformists and future-oriented forces."
Critics say Kim and Chung hoped to avoid losing the initiative in the course of establishing a new party. Minority factions are considering taking in Goh Kun, a former prime minister and Chung Un-chan, a former president of Seoul National University, to field one of them as a single presidential candidate.
In many public surveys released on New Year's Day, both Kim and Chung received less than 5 percent support ratings, while former Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak, a GNP member, received more than 40 percent.
Park Geun-hye, a former GNP chairwoman, and Goh ranked as distant second and third candidates.
Analysts attributed the Uri Party's low approval ratings to mounting public distrust of President Roh Moo-hyun regarding the slumping economy, lackluster reform measures and the North Korean nuclear standoff.
Seoul, Jan. 5 (Yonhap News)
Ruling party infighting deepens over creation of new party |
