Main opposition party reinstates defectors, pro-Park lawmakers

By a2016032

Published : May 12, 2017 - 11:10 Updated : May 12, 2017 - 11:10

The main opposition Liberty Korea Party on Friday reinstated a group of lawmakers who had left it or been disciplined in the fallout of the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye.

The group includes 13 lawmakers who defected to create the splinter Bareun Party and three lawmakers whose memberships were suspended as punishment for the internal crisis after a parliamentary vote to oust Park in December.

The logo of the Liberty Korea Party (Yonhap)

Their reinstatement comes as the party is striving to regroup after its defeat in Tuesday's presidential election.

"It is for greater party unity and a fresh start, as well as for the faithful execution of our responsibilities as the No. 1 opposition party," Chung Woo-taik, the party's acting chief and floor leader, said during a meeting of the interim leadership.

In the months leading to Park's ouster in March, more than 30 lawmakers left her party to create Bareun, which means "righteous" in Korean. But in May, 13 of them said they would return to support the Liberty Korea Party's presidential candidate Hong Joon-pyo.

Bareun's own candidate suffered from dismal approval ratings.

Also this year, the former ruling party suspended the memberships of Park's core supporters -- Reps. Suh Chung-won, Choi Kyoung-hwan and Yoon Sang-hyun.

Park is currently on trial on charges of bribery and abuse of power. (Yonhap)