The ruling Grand National Party’s moves at renewal have been disturbed by internal conflict between its emergency leadership council and party lawmakers.
In efforts to fundamentally renew the party, the interim panel launched direct attacks at Cheong Wa Dae and president-friendly members of the party.
“The current powers of the administration should step back in order for the right-wing to move forward,” said council member Lee Sang-don last week.
Kim Chong-in, former presidential secretary and leading member of the council, supported Lee’s stance and urged Rep. Park to remain unshaken.
The pro-Lee Myung-bak lawmakers of the party fired back, claiming that Lee Sang-don’s policy line was unclear and pointing out that Kim faced bribery charges in the past.
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(Yonhap News) |
“If the party is to achieve renewal, it should rid itself of such inappropriate figures,” said Rep. Hong Joon-pyo, the former chairman, who stepped down to give way to the interim panel.
Some pro-Lee figures even pledged to veto the council itself, should the two refuse to step down.
Kim hinted Monday that he may resign from his post, should the council fail to achieve personnel renewal by late January.
“If nothing changes by then, there will be little significance in maintaining the council,” he said in a radio interview.
Rep. Park Geun-hye, the party’s former chairwoman and current interim chief, strongly advocated renewal efforts but refrained from siding with the council members.
“The reason that we had to substitute the Supreme Council with an emergency council was the public’s distrust in our party,” she said at the council meeting on Monday.
“We have no time to lose and are to complete our renewal plans as soon as possible.”
In order to resolve the conflict between the two groups, the party is considering a joint meeting next week but the meeting is expected to cause further sparks as neither side is showing signs of compromise.
Despite the feud, the panel continued to push forward its series of measures to cut lawmakers’ privileges and to promote the people’s welfare, according to officials.
Its agenda included the adoption of a resolution which will urge party lawmakers to give up their post-retirement pension as a gesture of self-sacrifice.
A lawmaker is entitled to a state pension upon reaching 65 after retirement.
The council also resolved in its initial meeting last week to abolish the lawmakers’ immunity from arrest, largely in relation to Rep. Choi Gu-sik whose name featured in a recent cyber attack scandal. Rep. Choi decided Monday to leave the party.
By Bae Hyun-jung (
tellme@heraldcorp.com)
