A Huge Round for GNP

Opposition party leaves Uri Party in disarray with landslide victory

The major opposition Grand National Party clinched a landslide victory in the May 31 local elections, winning all but 12 of 16 gubernatorial and wide-area city mayoral positions up for elections.
The ruling Uri Party won only one governorship in North Jeolla Province in the election that delivered a big blow to the ruling party, leaving the party on the brink of disintegration. Its chairman Chung Dong-young immediately resigned, taking responsibility for the crushing defeat the day after the election.
The assassination attempt on GNP Chairman Park Geun-hye on May 20 was considered to have caused many voters to change their minds and voted for GNP candidates across the country, although the opposition party candidates were well ahead of their rival candidates across the country. So called, "Park Wind"swept the country, political analysts said.
GNP candidates collected from 40 to 60 percent of votes cast in their election districts on average, while the ruling party candidates got about 20 percent on average.
But political pundits commented that the election result was an expression of disillusionment with the government and the ruling party, in particular their reform policies for the past three years. The voters are displeased with the liberal tone in President's policies, which have been seen to be pro-North, keeping distance with the U.S. in some ways and anti-business, especially those for raising taxes on real estate including apartments, among others, and dissatisfaction with the government runs deep around the country, they commented.
Former Prime Minister Goh Kun, who is being touted as a leading contender for the Presidential election next year, chimed in by saying that the election result was a defeat for the ruling party, not a show of support for the opposition party
But many GNP officials appeared to be ebullient that the momentum created during the election for their party will be carried over to the next presidential election in December, next year and help win the party to regain power that it relinquished in 2003.


In Seoul, GNP candidate Oh Se-hoon became the new mayor easily beating ruling Uri Party candidate Kang Keum-shil. The incumbent mayor of Busan, the nation's second largest city and the biggest port, Hur Nam-sik. also handily retained his power over Uri Party candidate Oh Goe-don.
In Gyeonggi Province surrounding Seoul, GNP candidate Kim Moon-soo engineered a lopsided victory over his closest rival ruling party candidate Chin Dae-je, the former Minister of Information and Communication.
In Incheon, incumbent mayor Ahn Sang-soo defeated his closest rival Uri Party candidate Choi Ki-sun, the former mayor of Incheon.
In Daejeon, one of the most hotly contested cities, GNP candidate Park Song-hyo came from behind and narrowly upset ruling party candidate Yeom Hong-chol, the incumbent mayor of the city, who bolted from GNP to join the Uri Party.
So called "Park Wind"created by the assassination attempt, particularly wreaked havoc in Daejeon in its wake. Mayor Yeom was leading the GNP candidate early in the campaign period and his reelection seemed to have been all but sealed, but the gap closed after the GNP chairman visited the city after getting discharge from the hospital on May 28 and helped the campaign of her party's candidate. The winner got 43.8 percent of the votes cast, barely beating his closes rival with a small margin of 2.7 percent.
In another closely contested campaign on Jeju Island, GNP candidate Hyun Myung-gwan almost caught up with independent candidate and incumbent governor Kim Tae-hwan. The GNP chairman flew to the island to lend a hand to Hyun, former Samsung Group affiliate chairman, who was trailing very far behind. The final vote tally showed that only 1.6 percent of votes separated the winner from the loser.
South Jeolla Province went to the Millennium Democratic Party by reelecting incumbent governor Park Jun-yong as expected. Gawangju City also remained in the camp of the Democratic Party by reelecting its incumbent mayor Park Gwang-tae.
All told, only North Jeolla Province stuck with the ruling party by electing its gubernatorial candidate Kim Wan-ju.
With the ruling party in such a disarray getting hit with the huge loss in the election, adviser Kim Keun-tae was made chairman of the Emergency Committee that was formed following the resignation of chairman Chung, to pick up the pieces and settle the party down before the party convention next spring to elect the new party chairman.
The temporary chairman called for the party's effort to revive the sagging economy, saying it is the most important work that the party faces. To regain the support from the people, the government and the ruling party should go all-out to resurrect the economy, Kim and party leaders claimed. It is to be seen, however, how well the party can convince Cheong Wa Dae, the presidential mansion, to change government policies to go along with the party and try to perk up the economy and how far the new party chairman would veer from his liberal ideologies and take up rightist policies for the sake of the revival of the ruling party, political pundits suspected. The ruling party's first-term lawmakers also called for the revision in the government's real estate policies including the part that aims at assessing heavier taxes on residential houses. The young party legislators blamed the clause as one of the major causes for the election defeat.
But the Cheong Wa Dae is adamant to the move to the extent that it has nothing to do with the election results. President Roh himself said that the government will stay the course with no change to its policies. The rift between the ruling party and the President appear to be brewing, drawing huge attention of the country on their future moves.
The election victory lifted the popularity of GNP Chairman Park, putting her ahead of other potential presidential candidates in the polls taken after the election. She got around 27 percent in the polls taken by the Joongang Daily News, which showed Goh Kun trailing her by about 3 percentage points following by Lee Myung-bak, the Seoul mayor with about 20 percent. The former Prime Minister Goh led all the polls taken before the election. Again, pundits noted that "Park Wind"from the attack on the GNP chairman put her on top, although they are not sure whether the wind will still be strong enough to push her over the top in the next presidential election in December, last year.
The GNP chairman will step down from her position on June 16 with the expiry of her term. She served over two years and three months, longest than any of her predecessors and the first one to retire with a formal ceremony attended by some 500 party leaders and members. She has not yet declared her presidential candidacy, but she will eventually announce it. She is expected to compete with Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak and Gyeonggi Province Governor Sohn Hak-kyu to be elected as the standard bearer for GNP.
She is expected to visit the Yeongnam region, the home base of GNP, to consolidate her supporters until the party convention early next year and make overseas trips after her wound on her right cheek is healed completely. She plans to visit Germany, France, and Belgium in Europe and China and India.
Goh Kun, in the meantime, announced that he plans to form a study group of persons with an all-embracing view such as pragmatic idealism he often preaches. The announcement came a day after the local election results were announced and the ruling party was on the brink of disarray. The move is being counted on as a gesture to form a new political party including the disenchanted members of the ruling party following its huge election demise and others from all segments of the political circles. He also hopes to join hands with the less conservative wing of the GNP, which has been the strong hold of the conservatives, the former prime minister being known as a middle of the roader.
Seoul Mayor Lee already announced that his hat is in the ring for GNP Presidential nomination in a possible showdown with former GNP chairman Park and former Gyeonggi Province governor Sohn. nw

Rep. Park Geun-hye waves a bouquet as she leaves the Grand National Party head office after her resignation as chairman of the major opposition party June 16.

Seoul Mayor-elect Oh Se-hoon of the GNP.

Gyeonggi Province Governor-elect Kim Moon-soo of the GNP.

Incheon Mayor-elect
Ahn Sang-soo of the GNP.

Daejeon Mayor-elect
Park Song-hyo, of the GNP.

Busan Mayor-elect
Hur Nam-sik of the GNP.

Jeju Governor-elect
Kim Tae-wan.