[Editorial] Parties in disarray

For too long, Korea’s political parties have failed to meet the people’s needs, engaging in endless conflict with each other and within themselves and neglecting their legislative missions. In elections, voters resignedly swung from one party to another, but in the latest Seoul mayoral by-election, they had an alternative; a “people’s candidate” emerged and the frustrated electorate chose him.

The victory of lawyer-activist Park Won-soon meant the defeat of the two major parties to people power in Korea today. Na Kyung-won, the nominee of the ruling conservative Grand National Party, lost to him by a margin of 7.2 percentage points. The main opposition Democratic Party conceded to Park in the opposition-wide nomination process and was forced to support the independent candidate who refused to join the party.

Park Won-soon was running but it was Ahn Cheol-soo’s election. The wildly popular software businessman-turned-social critic who now teaches at Seoul National University as dean of the Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology pushed Park into spotlight by personally endorsing him. Ahn’s last-minute joining in Park’s campaign sealed his win over Na, who was supported by Park Geun-hye, the GNP’s frontrunner for next year’s presidential election.

The election of the liberal independent as Seoul mayor heralds a seismic change in the nation’s political arena. Parties are now convinced that they cannot win in the April general elections and December presidential vote next year if they stick with their leadership lineups and modes of operation. The Oct. 26 election in Korea’s political, economic, social and cultural center brought the still unorganized force represented by Ahn Cheol-soo to the center of politics.

The GNP will have to attempt a fundamental reform with replacement of the leadership and organizational expansion to recruit fresher figures from the vast layer of stability-seeking “reasonable” conservatives who feel threatened by the liberal surge. Reformists are warning against the party’s dependence on the “extreme 10 percent” and even its reliance on Park Gen-hye’s popularity.

The DP will seek mergers with minor opposition groups and alliance with liberal civic groups, which will be hard to impossible considering the party’s current low stature and internal disunity. In the event that a “grand unification” is promoted ahead of elections, civic groups would demand large shares, possibly Ahn’s presidential candidacy. Yet, it is still unclear if the liberal icon who has often expressed his political idealism of harmony and reconciliation from conflicts and confrontation would throw himself into realpolitik.

Though not totally unexpected, the result of the Seoul vote must have shocked the Blue House and its relations with the party could be further detached with the acceleration of the lame duck process. Yet, President Lee Myung-bak should be undaunted in pursuing his administrative agenda in the final months, including the ratification of the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement.

New Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon rode subway train to his office Thursday morning and take over the administration of the capital city after nine years under GNP mayors. He will attempt a reshuffle of the staff that he will work with for the two years and eight months remaining from the four-year term of office, definitely a short time to translate his ideals into action, let alone the platforms he promised.

He needs to exercise good discretion in deciding which of the past he should keep intact and what to change. A radical attempt to remove everything that represents Oh Se-hoon will cause huge waste of energy and invite unnecessary conflicts. After all, he should remember he was chosen by less than a quarter of the total population of the capital city and mostly those in their 40s or younger.