Parties brace for by-elections amid ongoing bribery scandal

SEOUL, April 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's rival political parties will begin
campaigning for five vacant National Assembly seats Thursday ahead of
by-elections later this month amid an ongoing bribery scandal involving a former
president.

Officials at the National Election Commission said the agency received
candidates' registrations on Tuesday and Wednesday and that the 16-day official
campaign period will begin on Thursday. A total of 48 candidates will compete for
the five open seats in the April 29 race, said the officials.
Results of the by-elections, the first since the inauguration of President Lee
Myung-bak in February 2008, are expected to serve as a crucial litmus test of
public sentiment towards the conservative Lee administration. They will also help
reshape the power structures of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) and the
main opposition Democratic Party (DP), according to local political watchers.
The GNP is seeking to win the popular support for its policy efforts to revive
the economy, while the DP is urging voters to punish Lee and his ruling party for
successive policy failures.
A snowballing corruption scandal engulfing the family of former President Roh
Moo-hyun, known for his political relationship with the DP, is also likely to
affect the outcome of the by-elections, watchers note.
Prosecutors have been digging deeper into a network of controversial relations
between Roh and a corrupt businessman indicted last December on charges of
handing out billions of won to a number of political heavyweights.
The DP has also suffered a blow from internal strife over which candidate to
field in the elections. Chung Dong-young, the party's former head and a one-time
presidential contender, bolted from the party to run as an independent against
the DP in his political home turf of Deokjin district in the city of Jeonju,
North Jeolla Province.
The Gyeongju district of North Gyeongsang Province will likely also grab media
attention as candidates aligned with President Lee and his political rival, Park
Geun-hye, are expected to engage in fierce competition. Jeong Jong-bok, a former
GNP lawmaker, will run on the GNP ticket against independent Chung Soo-sung, a
supporters of Park, in the Gyeongju district.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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