Struggling ruling party split over creating new party in S. Korea

Reformist lawmakers of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) intensified calls Tuesday for dismantling the moribund party and creating a new one as part of efforts to regain public confidence ahead of next year's general elections.But other members, especially those loyal to GNP's leading presidential hopeful Park Geun-hye, opposed the idea, saying it would be enough for the party to carry out a thorough overhaul stopping just short of dismantlement.The internal feud raised concern that South Korea's largest political party may ultimately split up, as some reformist members said they will quit the GNP unless their demand for a new party is met. Rep. Jeong Tae-geun, who last month staged a hunger strike over the GNP's unilateral passage of the free trade agreement with the U.S., said during a party meeting that he will leave the party immediately, stating that the reform measures are not enough to win over voters, according to participants.First-term GNP lawmaker Kim Sung-sik also expressed his intention to quit if the party does not disband and establish a new party, they said.Their move came after the GNP lawmakers Monday reached an agreement to launch an emergency council and pick presidential hopeful Park as its chief to carry out a complete overhaul before the April 11 elections. Former leader Hong Joon-pyo quit last week under pressure from reformist members.Despite widespread consensus that Park should come forward to revive the unpopular party, GNP legislators were divided in a Tuesday meeting over how long and to what extent the emergency committee should exercise its power. Park, who aspires to become South Korea's first female president, has stayed away from party affairs for years because of soured relations with President Lee Myung-bak, after she lost to Lee in the party's 2007 primary to select a presidential candidate."Because the GNP has completely lost public confidence, it cannot win the general and presidential elections," Rep. Chung Doo-un, considered the leader of reformist lawmakers, told Yonhap News. "A considerable number of lawmakers think 'we cannot go on like this' if the party is not born again under a new name."Lawmakers who belong to a faction loyal to Park expressed skepticism over the idea. "Would people flock to our party if we create a party under a new name?" Rep. Lee Kyung-ae said. "What matters is our willingness to reform the party. To people, remodeling or creating a new party would sound alike."Though Park has called for a complete facelift tantamount to creating a new party, she opposed to changing the 14-year-old party's name. She was not immediately available for comment.The most contentious issue is how to revise the nomination process because many lawmakers in the Seoul metropolitan area are worried that they will not be able to win the party ticket and get reelected in the key districts with the party's fast-dwindling approval ratings.In South Korea, most party nominations are closed-door affairs led by a few heavyweights in the party's leadership, with little debate over policy issues. The opaque process, often riddled with bribery and nepotism, has been criticized as one of the sources of corruption and the reason for a general distrust of major political parties. Political analysts say the establishment of a brand new party is one of the ways to distance from President Lee, who is grappling with low approval ratings hovering below 30 percent.Lee's business-friendly policies have faced strong criticism with more people in Asia's fourth-largest economy demanding the government spend more on welfare measures to narrow widening income inequality between the rich and poor.The next presidential race is scheduled for December next year. South Korean law bars a president from seeking reelection.