The serial defections and the consequent party split could have been an irrecoverable blow, but the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea seems to have turned its worst-ever crisis into a timely opportunity for sweeping renewal.
By recruiting innovative outside figures on one hand and reaching out to old allies on the other, the party has made it clear that it will not miss its former members, especially former cochairman An Cheol-soo.
On Monday, two civic activists who are also close aides to Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon joined the Minjoo Party upon the invitation of party leader Rep. Moon Jae-in.
Kim Min-young, former secretary-general of liberal civic group People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, and Oh Sung-kyu, former director of Seoul Facilities Management Corporation, both worked in Park’s camp in the 2011 by-election.
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| Yang Hyang-ja |
The entrance of the two Park allies alluded to a mutual understanding between party chief Moon and the Seoul Mayor that the opposition camp should stand united ahead of the April parliamentary elections.
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| Kim Min-young and Oh Sung-kyu |
“I hope that more good-hearted people join the party to lead reform from the inside,” Kim quoted the Seoul mayor as having said, when he conveyed in advance his upcoming party entry.
So far, the Minjoo Party’s attempts to turn the game around by reshuffling have personnel has largely gained positive responses.
Forensic psychologist and political debater Pyo Chang-won was the first to come to the party’s rescue. The crime expert immediately caught the public’s attention with righteous image and shrewd arguments, especially over disputed issues such as the government’s much-critisized deal with Japan on wartime sex slavery.
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| Pyo Chang-won |
Self-made business figures such as video game company Webzen chairman Kim Byung-kwan and former Samsung Electronics executive Yang Hyang-ja fit in with the party’s policy to create employment opportunities. These compatible new figures not only contributed to expanding the party’s human resource pool but also brought compliments upon party chairman Moon for his good judgment and swift action.
A survey by local pollster Realmeter showed Monday that the approval rating for the Minjoo Party stood at 22.5 percent in the second week of January, up 2.2 percent from the previous week.
With the party’s polls on a rebounding trend, Moon is said to announce his resignation within the week, as early as Tuesday, and to hand over all power to the election committee led by economic strategist Kim Jong-in.
Ahn’s camp, in contrast, has remained low key over recruitment after a series of moral controversies.
The People’s Party had recently announced that it will recruit five new figures including a former senior prosecutor but called off the decision within hours due to allegations that some of them were invovled in bribery charges.
“We will in the future focus on thorough verification, instead of rushing into decisions,” Ahn said in apology.
But as the newborn party is also pressed to mark its presence before the elections, it is also working to induce big shot figures — such as the Minjoo Party’s former floor leader and emergency committee chief Rep. Park Young-sun.
By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)
