Park loyalist wins key post in SKorean ruling party

By Alex Jensen

SEOUL

South Korea's ruling Saenuri Party set itself up for a major split Friday, as lawmakers loyal to impeached President Park Geun-hye managed to quash an attempted overhaul.

An in-house election to pick a new floor leader saw a victory for the Saenuri pro-Park faction's candidate Chung Woo-taik by 62 votes to 55.

He replaces another Park loyalist, Chung Jin-suk, who resigned Monday to take responsibility for the president's impeachment.

Later in the day, party chair Lee Jung-hyun was among several other pro-Park figures to vacate senior positions -- safe in the knowledge that a floor leader is in place to ensure stability.

For defeated Saenuri floor leader hopeful Na Kyung-won and dozens of anti-Park conservatives, the choice will be to either conform or reform under a new party banner.

Na and company may well be tempted to cut ties after witnessing weeks of street protests demanding the president's resignation due to a vast power abuse scandal – the demonstrations also turned on the Saenuri Party because its loyalist faction opposed this month’s parliamentary impeachment motion.

Moreover, the country’s increasingly strong liberal bloc has refused to hold dialogue with pro-Park representatives.

“We cannot accept them as counterparts for discussion,” read a statement from the main opposition Democratic Party, which is enjoying a soaring approval rating.

Its popularity has reached 40 percent according to a Gallup Korea poll released Friday -- that is the highest for a left-leaning party since 1998, the year liberal icon Kim Dae-jung became president.

With a far less favorable 15 percent rate of support by comparison, the Saenuri camp was beaten in the same poll inside its own strongholds.

Unless conservatives are able to regain public trust, the outlook is bleak for them ahead of a snap election within months if Seoul's Constitutional Court confirms Park’s ousting.

Surveys suggest the only competitive Saenuri contender for now would be outgoing United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, but he is yet to even confirm an interest in running.

A first left-leaning administration since late former President Roh Moo-hyun (2003-2008) could dramatically alter Seoul's foreign policy, maybe warming North Korea ties but also converging with the ascent of Donald Trump in the United States to potentially weaken relations with Washington.