SKorea’s ruling party to split over president

By Alex Jensen

SEOUL

More than 30 rebel conservative lawmakers have vowed to transform South Korea’s political landscape by leaving the ruling Saenuri Party.

Their decision Wednesday came after a months-long battle between those in favor of and those against President Park Geun-hye, who was impeached Dec. 9.

The Saenuri Party currently holds 128 of the National Assembly’s 300 seats, just ahead of the Democratic Party’s 121 representatives -- the loss of anti-Park lawmakers would therefore damage the ruling camp, already well behind the main opposition in opinion polls.

Having helped impeach the president over a power abuse scandal, rebel conservatives still lost to the pro-Park Saenuri faction in their election to pick a new floor leader last week.

The ensuing fallout gave way to Wednesday’s announcement, with Kim Moo-sung and Yoo Seong-min -- who both previously held senior party posts -- leading the way.

Condemned as “cowards” by loyalists, Kim and Yoo were reportedly among 31 lawmakers who met earlier in the day to plan their official exit next Tuesday.

“I have always dreamed of a generous and righteous conservatism,” Yoo was quoted as saying by local news agency Yonhap. “To start anew, we decided to leave the party for the kind of conservatism we can proudly show to the younger generation.”

The creation of a new party will drive competition ahead of next year’s presidential election, which could take place in December as scheduled or much earlier if Park’s ousting is confirmed by the Constitutional Court in the next six months.

As all sides jostle for supremacy, the Democratic Party’s strongest potential presidential candidate has been Moon Jae-in -- the man narrowly beaten by Park in 2012.

He has been challenged in popularity surveys by outgoing United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, considered a conservative contender despite being noncommittal so far.

But Ban gave a strong hint when speaking to South Korean journalists in the United States Tuesday, insisting he is “willing to fully devote” himself to advance his home nation.

He was also critical of North Korea and highlighted the need to fix “deep-rooted evils” that have been brought to the fore in the South -- implying a stronger political connection with the breakaway conservatives than the pro-Park mainstream, although the minor opposition People’s Party declared it is open to aligning with Ban.

South Korea’s parliament has not had four parties big enough to all enjoy negotiation body status for nearly three decades.