Park expelled from LKP
Former President Park Geun-hye was expelled from the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP), Friday, cutting her off completely from the conservative party following a corruption scandal that led to her removal from office in March.
LKP Chairman Hong Joon-pyo exercised his authority to remove Park from the party, after its Supreme Council failed to reach a consensus over Park’s fate on early Friday.
Hong, however, did not finalize a decision on two of Park’s diehard loyalists — Reps. Suh Chung-won and Choi Kyung-hwan — although they were expected to be stripped of their party membership as well.
“Park’s party membership is gone completely as of today,” Hong announced during a press conference.
Park’s removal is expected to result in eight anti-Park lawmakers from the Bareun Party, a splinter group from the LKP’s predecessor Saenuri Party, joining the LKP by next week.
The eight legislators, including former Saenuri Party Chairman Kim Moo-sung and its former floor leader Yoo Seong-min, bolted from the party and created the Bareun Party in January following a power struggle with pro-Park factional members.
Hong’s expulsion of Park is seen as a bid to improve the LKP’s tarnished image over the corruption scandal that rocked the country last year.
Analysts said it may help unite the conservatives ahead of the local elections next year as well.
Some others, however, still warn of intra-party conflicts. They pointed out that Rep. Kim Tae-heum, an LKP Supreme Council member and also a Park loyalist, reacted angrily toward Hong’s singlehanded decision to remove Park from the party. Kim argued it was the Supreme Council, not Hong, that has the right to finalize the measure regarding the former president.
Hong’s side explained his measure was in line with the LKP ethical committee’s recommendation made to Park on Oct. 20 to voluntarily leave the party or raise objections accordingly by Thursday.
Under party regulations, Park was supposed to be expelled from the party automatically after she failed to meet the Thursday deadline. She is currently detained and undergoing a trial on charges relat- ed to the influence-peddling scandal involving her confidant Choi Soon-sil.
The party’s Supreme Council could not reach a consensus as pro-Park faction members insisted on putting her party membership to a vote, although the majority of the party members were against it.
The soon-to-be LKP members from the Bareun Party plan to stress the importance of unity among the conservatives to better counter the Moon Jae-in administration’s popularity.
Some experts raise concerns Hong and Kim Moo-sung may clash in their preparations for the local elections.
The Bareun Party remained prudent over Hong’s decision on Park, saying “We’ll closely monitor how the LKP will transform.”
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) downplayed the removal of Park from the LKP as a “mere politically motivated step.”
“The measure was far too late considering Park was ousted almost eight months ago,” DPK spokesman Kim Hyun said. “It’s too apparent the LKP’s decision is based on its interest in restructuring, not based on its responsibility over the corruption scandal.”
Park used to be an iconic figure of the Saenuri Party and its conservative precursors after entering politics in 1997.
She had the honor to be the first registered Saenuri Party member in April 2012 when the party changed its name from the Grand National Party, for which she served as its chairwoman.