ID :
178396
Wed, 04/27/2011 - 20:30
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Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/178396
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President Lee, ruling party pressed for change after election hit
By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, April 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's governing party was thrown into a state of disarray and President Lee Myung-bak suffered another political setback Wednesday with a humiliating defeat in the parliamentary and gubernatorial by-elections.
The victory of Sohn Hak-kyu, head of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), over Kang Jae-sup, former leader of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP), in Bundang, a suburb south of Seoul, apparently solidified his footing as a potential presidential candidate.
Many viewed the country's first elections in nine months as a bellwether for next year's general elections and presidential polls, although the results will not directly affect the hegemony in the unicameral National Assembly in which the GNP holds a majority.
In the crucial race in Bundang, a longtime stronghold of the GNP, Sohn gained 51 percent over Kang with 48.3 percent. The seat had been long held by presidential chief of staff Yim Tae-hee before he took up the post last year.
Voter sentiment in Bundang is also seen as a litmus test of that in a relatively affluent area in southern Seoul, called "Gangnam" in Korean. Sohn's win sounds a clear alarm for GNP lawmakers with constituencies there.
"(The outcome) reflects desire for change," Kim Hyung-joon, professor of political science at Seoul's Myongji University said. "It reflects calls for the president to change his handling of state affairs."
He added that voters also seemed to have sought the emergence of a competitive presidential candidate from the opposition party.
Initially, Wednesday's by-elections were thought to be little more than a warm-up for next year's two important elections. But things changed as several political heavyweights like Sohn ran for races themselves.
For Sohn, the Bundang battle against the former GNP chairman was a high-stakes gamble that he even said would determine the future of his political life.
In Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, Kim Tae-ho made a dramatic comeback half a year after he was forced to abandon the nomination as prime minister amid allegations of ethical lapses.
Kim, who worked as governor of the province, beat Lee Bong-soo of the People's Participatory Party (PPP) led by Rhyu Si-min, who is also on a media-made list of presidential hopefuls.
But delivering another heavy blow to the ruling bloc, Choi Moon-soon of the DP, formerly the president of major local broadcaster MBC, was elected as governor of Gangwon Province east of Seoul, defeating Ohm Ki-young, who has also served also the head of the broadcaster.
Experts expect the election outcome to have serious repercussions despite the president's efforts for stability in state affairs in the fourth of his single five-year term.
Concerns that Lee will become an early lame duck are likely to grow and calls for a major Cabinet shake-up and the reshuffle of the presidential staff are expected to intensify, they said.
On the other hand, Park Geun-hye, an ex-GNP leader who leads opinion polls on the popularity of potential presidential candidates, will likely gain more clout in the party. She heads one of the two major party factions, with the other made up of lawmakers royal to the president.
The GNP will come under growing pressure for sweeping reform, with the fate of its leader Ahn Sang-soo at stake, according to the experts.
Emboldened by the election win, the DP is expected to increase voices on pending issues such as the ratification of free trade pacts with the European Union and the Unites States, respectively, and proposed tax cuts and constitutional revisions.
SEOUL, April 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's governing party was thrown into a state of disarray and President Lee Myung-bak suffered another political setback Wednesday with a humiliating defeat in the parliamentary and gubernatorial by-elections.
The victory of Sohn Hak-kyu, head of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), over Kang Jae-sup, former leader of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP), in Bundang, a suburb south of Seoul, apparently solidified his footing as a potential presidential candidate.
Many viewed the country's first elections in nine months as a bellwether for next year's general elections and presidential polls, although the results will not directly affect the hegemony in the unicameral National Assembly in which the GNP holds a majority.
In the crucial race in Bundang, a longtime stronghold of the GNP, Sohn gained 51 percent over Kang with 48.3 percent. The seat had been long held by presidential chief of staff Yim Tae-hee before he took up the post last year.
Voter sentiment in Bundang is also seen as a litmus test of that in a relatively affluent area in southern Seoul, called "Gangnam" in Korean. Sohn's win sounds a clear alarm for GNP lawmakers with constituencies there.
"(The outcome) reflects desire for change," Kim Hyung-joon, professor of political science at Seoul's Myongji University said. "It reflects calls for the president to change his handling of state affairs."
He added that voters also seemed to have sought the emergence of a competitive presidential candidate from the opposition party.
Initially, Wednesday's by-elections were thought to be little more than a warm-up for next year's two important elections. But things changed as several political heavyweights like Sohn ran for races themselves.
For Sohn, the Bundang battle against the former GNP chairman was a high-stakes gamble that he even said would determine the future of his political life.
In Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, Kim Tae-ho made a dramatic comeback half a year after he was forced to abandon the nomination as prime minister amid allegations of ethical lapses.
Kim, who worked as governor of the province, beat Lee Bong-soo of the People's Participatory Party (PPP) led by Rhyu Si-min, who is also on a media-made list of presidential hopefuls.
But delivering another heavy blow to the ruling bloc, Choi Moon-soon of the DP, formerly the president of major local broadcaster MBC, was elected as governor of Gangwon Province east of Seoul, defeating Ohm Ki-young, who has also served also the head of the broadcaster.
Experts expect the election outcome to have serious repercussions despite the president's efforts for stability in state affairs in the fourth of his single five-year term.
Concerns that Lee will become an early lame duck are likely to grow and calls for a major Cabinet shake-up and the reshuffle of the presidential staff are expected to intensify, they said.
On the other hand, Park Geun-hye, an ex-GNP leader who leads opinion polls on the popularity of potential presidential candidates, will likely gain more clout in the party. She heads one of the two major party factions, with the other made up of lawmakers royal to the president.
The GNP will come under growing pressure for sweeping reform, with the fate of its leader Ahn Sang-soo at stake, according to the experts.
Emboldened by the election win, the DP is expected to increase voices on pending issues such as the ratification of free trade pacts with the European Union and the Unites States, respectively, and proposed tax cuts and constitutional revisions.
