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POLITICAL EVENTSJanuary 2008Audits Begin on Liberal Gov'ts (Jan 2008) Political experts say the misadministration of liberal governments for the past decade will finally end. The Board of Audit and Inspection has launched its first audit of inter-Korean cooperation funds, and the conservative Grand National Party will also demand scrutiny of money allocated for inter-Korean economic projects. The party said on 10 Jan that it will ask for an audit on inter-Korean cooperation funds, as about five trillion won have gone into inter-Korean economic projects since the Kim Dae-jung administration took office in 1998.In a phone interview, party floor leader Ahn Sang-soo said, “We must thoroughly review whether the money used for inter-Korean cooperation projects was spent to improve the lives of North Koreans. We are also planning to verify if the money went to things irrelevant to inter-Korean cooperation.” Party lawmaker Eom Ho-sung, a member of the parliamentary committee for finance and economy, also said, “We are also considering requesting an audit on funds linked to inter-Korean economic projects at the committee level. We believe that the operation of those funds, which has been suspected of lacking transparency, should be comprehensively reviewed.” The party is also considering an investigation into whether inter-Korean cooperation funds were mishandled at the parliamentary level. After receiving a briefing from the Unification Ministry on 7 Jan, the presidential transition committee ordered an evaluation of the transparency of inter-Korean cooperation funds. Committee spokesman Lee Dong-gwan said, “The funds might have been put under poor management, since the operation of inter-Korean cooperation funds has not been audited for a while.” In this regard, the Board of Audit and Inspection said it is also monitoring loans for inter-Korean economic projects, and will launch a formal audit if illegal activities are uncovered regardless of the National Assembly’s request. A bureau official said, “In fact, you can say that we have been auditing all of the funds, including those for economic cooperation and humanitarian aid projects.” The Grand National Party will also look into financial aid given to civil organizations that sprang up with the help of liberal administrations over the past decade. The party will assess the severity of “parachute appointments,” since more than 150 politicians have received executive positions at some 100 state-affiliated organizations over the past five years under the Roh administration. The transition committee is also considering collaborating with academia to draw up a system guiding public television stations, which have been criticized for biased coverage for the past decade, to promote fair reporting. Political pundits also say probes are likely into the alleged involvement of the National Intelligence Service and the National Tax Service in the presidential election; the arrival of the key figure in the BBK stock fraud scandal ahead of the election; and kickbacks that President Roh is believed to have received after winning the 2002 election. (Source: Donga Ilbo.) Sohn Hak-kyu chosen to lead United New Democratic Party (Jan 2008) A sense of crisis that the United New Democratic Party may collapse if it continues to drift away led to a smooth compromise. The selection of former provincial governor Sohn Hak-kyu as the leader of the UNDP on January 10 was seen as a result of the party’s desperation. However, the road ahead could be a bumpy one. Former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan decided to quit the party on the same day. Sohn’s position as the UNDP leader, which is temporary, will end on April 9, when the nation holds its general parliamentary election. In the meantime, the UNDP’s central committee has decided to give Sohn the full authority to select the members of the senior leadership committee, as a way for Sohn to fully exercise his leadership of the party. Being empowered to do this is no small thing. However, the committee has delayed its discussions about who will be given the power to nominate candidates for National Assembly seats ahead of the April election. The delay was the result of a common understanding within the party that a new leader was needed, but it has left room for another rift because Sohn will not be given the power to nominate the party’s candidates. Sohn’s aides question whether a leader without the authority to nominate candidates will be able to revitalize the beleaguered party, so it is expected they will push for the authority to be given to Sohn.  On the contrary, factions opposed to Sohn’s leadership are likely to call on the party to give the nominating authority to someone else and start the nomination process all over again. In short, the potential for conflict over this issue is likely to lead to a party-wide struggle, analysts say. Still, many people in and out of the party remain skeptical about Sohn’s leadership following the UNDP’s defeat by a landslide during the presidential election last month. Some have also questioned Sohn’s political identity, because he defected from the Grand National Party last summer. It also remains to be seen whether senior lawmakers and reform-minded first-term lawmakers will follow the central committee’s decisions. In particular, the departure of Lee Hae-chan, who is a considered to be one of the leading pro-Roh Moo-hyun politicians, is likely to lead an “anti-Sohn Hak-kyu” exodus from the party. Meanwhile, it is likely that other party defectors may soon follow in his path. Lee Hoi-chang, who ran as an independent in last month’s election, has since created a new party, the Liberty New Party. Times Never Change: Convicted Felon Runs for Office AGAIN (Jan 2008) Kim Hyun-chul, the second son of former President Kim Young-sam, has announced plans to run in the 18th general elections in April. Kim was sentenced two years in prison on charges of bribery and tax evasion in 1999 but was granted a presidential amnesty on Aug. 15 the same year. Kim will run in his father's hometown of Geoje Island, South Gyeongsang Province. This is Kim's second try for the nomination of GNP candidate. He sought to run in Geoje in the 2004 parliamentary elections, but failed to win the nomination. GNP Factions Squabble Over Nominations (Jan 2008) Conflict is deepening between president-elect Lee Myung-bak's followers and those loyal to his primary rival Park Geun-hye over whether to nominate Park-faction leader Kim Moo-sung as a candidate for a parliamentary seat in the April general election. Kim on 30 Jan threatened to quit the party. Commenting on a decision on 29 Jan by the party's screening committee chaired by Ahn Kang-min, a former senior public prosecutor, not to nominate ex-convicts involved in corruption scandals as candidates for the general election, Kim said, "The decision is political retaliation. It's like using a person when his service is needed and keeping him at a distance when he is no longer wanted." Kim said he had never switched his party affiliations before. “But this time, I'll have no choice but to abandon my party membership now that the party is keeping me at a distance." If the code of ethics were to be strictly applied, many of Parks supporters, including Rep. Kim Moo-sung, would not be eligible to run in the parliamentary elections. GNP regulations on the nominations of candidates for public office stipulate, "The party shall disqualify those convicted of corruption and irregularities including bribery and delivery or taking of illegal political funds from winning nominations for public office." In 1996, Kim was sentenced to a fine of W10 million (US$1=W944) plus a surcharge of W20 million for taking W20 million in bribes from a terrestrial trunked radio system provider in return for favors. The conservative GNP revamped its regulations in 2004 after it was nicknamed the party of bribes, earned after some of its members were convicted in 2003 of having accepted over 80 billion won in bribes from major business groups during the 2002 presidential election. Under the regulation, almost 40 percent of GNP legislators were eliminated from the party nomination in 2004. The move came as the GNP tried to clear itself of its nickname "party of bribes," which it earned after some of party members were convicted in 2003 of having accepted over 80 billion won in bribes from major business groups during the 2002 presidential election. In that election, its candidate Lee Hoi-chang ran unsuccessfully against then ruling party candidate Roh Moo-hyun. Suffering from plummeting approval ratings ahead of the parliamentary elections in April 2004 following the corruption scandal and unpopular presidential impeachment, the GNP was forced to recruit newcomers en masse. But now the GNP has a 50 percent approval rate going into the April elections and Lee favors the strict regulations that will eliminate a large number of incumbent lawmakers so that he can bring new blood into the party. Park, however, wants to abandon the strict rules so that her aides -- mostly senior members of the party -- can run again. Some 35 pro-Park lawmakers in an urgent meeting the same day decided Kim Moo-sung won public confidence in two general elections conducted after he was convicted. They said it was possible that the party regulations in question are unconstitutional, given that they condone the retroactive application of laws and ignore party members' right to be elected to public office. They warned they will “share (their) political fate" with Kim. (SITE NOTE: Worries are that the 35 may bolt the party if tensions worsen. Sources said that the lawmakers from the rival factions are likely to settle on a compromise that would confine disqualification to lawmakers who have been given prison terms for violating the political fund law, and those who have received fines of over 1 million won ($1,100) for breaking the election law.) Park herself did not attend this meeting. But she told reporters the screening committee's criteria for nominations of candidates “are vague. The criteria should not be arbitrarily applied." GNP Chairman Kang Jae-sup also said that the committee's decision was a breach of faith and boycotted a meeting of senior party members on the day. But GNP Secretary-General Lee Bang-ho, a Lee loyalist, said, "The screening committee reached the decision by majority to nominate candidates according to the party regulations. The committee is not above party regulations." The committee, meanwhile, decided to convene an urgent meeting on Thursday afternoon, but whether the two GNP factions can find a breakthrough remains to be seen. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.) To counter the proposed ethics bar, Park had wanted lawmakers who violated not only corruption laws but also election laws to be barred from nomination, a move that would also hit Lee Myung-bak's supporters. GNP Leadership Tries to Mend Rift (Feb 2008) The leadership of the country's main opposition party reached a compromise Saturday aimed at mending an internal rift over selecting candidates for the upcoming parliamentary election. The decision reached by senior policymakers of the Grand National Party (GNP) allows members who have been convicted on corruption charges to apply for candidacy if they did not receive jail terms. Non-politicians crowd GNP pool (Feb 2008) More businessmen, professionals seek nomination than politicians. Members of the Roh Moo-hyun administration and an unprecedented number of people from outside politics are among the long list of people who want to run for the National Assembly in April under the Grand National Party banner. Most of them won’t get the chance. A total of 1,173 applications were received for 243 seats, according to the party. The ratio was 4.82 hopefuls for each seat, up from 3.4 in the last general election in 2004. “The result reflects the party’s strong popularity,” said Jaung Hoon, a politics professor at Chung-Ang University. “Being nominated as the party’s candidate is considered as good as being elected as a legislator.” According to a JoongAng Ilbo analysis of data provided by the party, the average age of the applicants was 52.8. Among the 1,160 applicants who agreed to make their personal information public when submitting applications, about half were experienced professionals from outside politics. About 283, or 24 percent, were businessmen, followed by 130 legal professionals, 91 professors and 33 journalists. In 2004, half the applicants were professional politicians. With the highest registration rate, some districts were crowded with 10 hopefuls or more. A total of 16 applied for Unpyeong in Seoul, while 15 registered for Gumcheon in the capital. But no one applied for the Muan-Sinan district in South Jeolla Province, a stronghold of the pro-government United New Democratic Party (UNDP). Districts in which Lee's confidants applied for saw less competition with political observers forecasting their victory due to the halo effect of Lee's large popularity. Reps. Lee Jae-oh and Chung Doo-un who helped the President-elect win the election have no party rivals in districts in Seoul. Other hopefuls include 130 from the legal sector, 91 professors and 33 journalists. The applicants also include several top government officials under the Roh Moo-hyun administration. Choi Jong-chan, the first construction minister in the Roh administration, applied for candidacy at a district in Anyang, Gyeonggi. Choi helped devise the administration’s real estate regulations. Huh Joon-young, a former chief of the National Police Agency under the Roh administration, applied to be a candidate for Jung District in Seoul. Huh stepped down in December 2005 after two farmers died in street protests against the free trade agreement between Korea and the United States. In addition, the GNP nominating committee is looking for younger candidates capping the age at 70. This has caused a bit of friction. The idea of replacing lawmakers in their 70s has been stifled by five-time lawmaker Lee Sang-deuk, 73, the older brother of President-elect Lee Myung-bak. The lawmaker’s decision to run this year is being hotly contested, as he is the eldest member of the party. Other 70-something lawmakers include Lee Kang-doo (71, four terms); Park Jong-geun (73, three); Lee Jae-chang (71, three); Park Hee-tae (70, five); Kim Gi-chun (69, three); and Lee Sang-bae (69, three). Three-time lawmaker Kim Yong-gab (72) has dropped out of this year’s race. Except for Lee Jae-chang, all of them are from southeastern provinces and half of them support former party chairwoman Park Geun-hye. Certain lawmakers are rumored to face replacement due to poor management and bad reputations in their constituencies. Members of the party and the committee said that the plan is intended to replace three- and four-time lawmakers, legislators in their 70s, and those from the southeastern region. Certain lawmakers who are considered morally suspect will also face replacement. An in-house committee plans to screen the hopefuls between late February and early March and announce the finalists by mid-March. For proportional representation seats, it will accept registrations until early next month and announce candidates one or two weeks later. (Source: Joongang Ilbo and Korea Times.) Payback Time: 2002 Presidential Campaign Funds Embezzlement Case to be Reopened (Jan 2008) The Seoul District Prosecutors` Office recently banned former Grand National Party Chairman Lee Hoi-chang’s second son Lee Soo-yeon and Seo Jeong-woo, one of his closest aides, from leaving the country, according to sources on 28 Jan. The prosecution, which has been reinvestigating allegations of the GNP’s 2002 illegal fundraising activities in the wake of various complaints, has recently summoned Lee Soo-yeon’s friend Jeong and Seo several times for questioning. (SITE NOTE: It seems almost coincidental that the timing comes before the April 2008 elections and just as Lee Hoi-chang formed the new conservative Liberty Forward Party and opened its headquarters in Daegu. Lee told reporters, “It is bewildering to see some people again raising fraud allegations over the use of the remaining funds in the 2002 presidential election campaign.” “The people linked to the election funds have already been investigated and tried. The timing is suspect as we have only a few days before launching the party.” About as bewildering as appointing a special counsel to investigate Lee Myeong-bak over allegations that the Prosecution had already cleared him of. Lee Hoi-chang and the UNDP supported the special counsel investigation in hopes that it would destroy Lee Myeong-bak's Presidential bid.) Jeong has been suspected of purchasing public housing bonds worth 750 million won, which he reportedly received from Samsung upon the request of Seo in November and December 2002, for 500 million won and of his involvement in laundering the money. It has also been alleged that Jeong laundered some of the GNP’s 2002 presidential election campaign funds along with his friend Lee and Seo. Although prosecutors questioned Jeong in 2004 during their investigation into the presidential election fund scandal, he abruptly left for China before prosecutors launched a full-scale probe into money laundering. What motivated Jeong to go to China has yet to be confirmed. In a complaint filed with prosecutors in November 2007, the Democratic Labor party accused former Chairman Lee of embezzlement, writing, “Lee kept 15.4 billion won of the remaining 2002 campaign funds and belatedly returned the money to Samsung in the spring of 2004 when the investigation into the presidential campaign fund case was launched. He is suspected of using the money for personal use in the process.” When the weekly SiSaIn raised questions about Lee Hoi-chang’s remaining 2002 election campaign funds in its December 3, 2007 edition, Lee filed a complaint with prosecutors against the magazine on charges of violating the Election Law for spreading false information and defamation. Some in and outside the prosecution also point out that it would be unfair not to investigate allegations of President Roh Moo-hyun’s receipt of so-called congratulatory money upon winning the presidential election, as well. (Source: Donga Ilbo.) (SITE NOTE: Do not be surprised that Roh gets scrutinized after Lee Myeong-bak gets in office. Of course, it will not be Lee who will be instigating the investigation but "other interested parties." Paybacks are hell...) February 2008DLP Hardliners Throw Out Reform Attempts (Feb 2008) The Democratic Labor Party in an extraordinary national convention voted down a proposal to expel senior party members who were involved in an espionage scandal in 2005. The proposal targeted Choi Ki-young, former vice secretary general of the party, and Lee Jung-hoon, a former member of the party Central Committee who are serving prison terms after they were convicted of reporting on the South Korean political scene for Pyongyang in the so-called Ilsimhoe case.The party also deleted most clauses in a reform proposal that aimed to distance the party from North Korea, which had been pushed by party chairwoman Sim Sang-jeong and an emergency committee from the minority People’s Democracy faction. With the failure of the reform proposal, observers expect Shim and the PD faction to defect. Shim has already said she will resign the party headship if the party reform proposal was killed and is to announce her decision about her political future at a press conference on Monday. A split of the DLP seems inevitable. The majority National Liberation faction flatly rejected the PD faction’s demand that the party distance itself from North Korea and ditch pro-North Korean policies. NL faction members held pickets at the convention urging instead more pro-North Korean policies. The emergency committee accused the Choi and Lee of hurting the party’s independence and autonomy. But the NL group deleted a clause to expel the two in a revision and passed the new version. It also deleted a sentence in the party reform proposal that bans any outside forces including the North from hurting the party’s independence and autonomy. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.) Running Scared: UNDP and MDP merge (Feb 2008) The liberal United New Democratic Party (UNDP) agreed to merge yesterday with the minor Democratic Party (DP), formerly the Millineum Democratic Party (MDP) . The formation of the new United Democratic Party comes more than four years after President Roh Moo-hyun and his followers ditched the MDP in September 2003 and founded the Uri Party, the de facto predecessor of the UNDP. The same force formed the Participatory United New Party that initiated the merger. UNDP Chairman Sohn Hak-kyu and DP Chairman Park Sang-cheon will serve as co-chairmen, but the new party will register Sohn as the sole leader with the National Election Commission. A debate over leadership had delayed the merger, but the party has reportedly stipulated co-chairmanship in its constitution. The new party said in a joint declaration between the UNDP and DP, “The Grand National Party holds the presidency and influential provincial government posts, and if the party wins two thirds of parliamentary seats in the upcoming general elections, democracy in the Republic of Korea will be in danger.” Election Bribery Scandal (Feb 2008) A total of six independent candidates ran for the mayoral election in Yeongcheon City, North Gyeongsang Province in 2007. Three came out strong and three weak during the campaign period. The Grand National Party had not nominated any candidate as in Cheongdo. Kim, with 5,300 votes, was second to last. Kim was considering dropping out of the race due to his low approval rating in polls, despite the fact that he was once the chairman of the Yeongcheon City Council and representative of the North Gyeongsang Province. An election broker Seo (43•arrested) stubbornly encouraged Kim to run for office, saying that “it is possible to win sufficient votes for nomination if you properly take advantage of the party organization.” Seo took 74 million won from Kim. Seo, one of the secretaries of a former Yeongcheon mayor, had approached Kim, saying, “Though it usually takes 500 million won to be nominated by the party, about 300 million won would be enough to use party members this time since there was no nomination.” It was found out that Seo had succeeded in winning Kim’s trust by boasting the fact that his younger brother is an assemblyman of the local electorate. To have 300 million won ready in cash, Kim urgently borrowed 150 million won from Seo’s relative. After deciding to run for the election, Kim dole out a total of 145 million won to 31 people including Jeong, head of the Yeongcheon liaison office of the GNP and election broker, and heads of residents’ associations and women’s groups. They in turn distributed a total of 74 million won to 24 people, including Kim (60•arrested), in charge of dong /eup/ myeon (the smallest administrative units), in sums ranging from 1 million won to 13 million won for each. It is suspected that about 30 million won out of this money was offered to voters in sums of 50,000 won or 100,000 won for each. The rumor that taking the role of an election broker or liaison brings one a big money was also found to be true. One of the campaigners received 7 million won for his work and bought a cow with it. Another campaigner was about to buy some crop field. Kim also handed over 5 million won to Yim, chairman of the Yeongcheon City Council, in Yim’s car, asking him “to give a hand through the organization.” Kim also gave 2 million won to a Yeongcheon City councilor, who asserts the money was returned soon afterward. Police is investigating the case based on its presumption that about 100 voters took money from Kim. (Source: Donga Ilbo.) NEW GAME: Payback time -- Chung Dong-young to be Questioned for Slander (Feb 2008) Former presidential candidate Chung Dong-young will be questioned over allegations that he slandered another candidate during the last presidential campaign, the prosecution said on 16 Feb. Chung, who competed on the ticket of the ruling United New Democratic Party (UNDP) against then candidate Lee Myung-bak in December's presidential election, is charged with slandering Lee and the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP). Prosecutors will seek to question former Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on 20 Feb on charges that he slandered President-elect Lee Myung-bak during last year's election. Chung was the presidential candidate of the now-defunct United New Democratic Party, but suffered a crushing loss to to Lee in the December 19 election. Chung said Lee was deeply involved in a stock fraud scheme involving the investment firm BBK and his ex-business partner Kim Kyung-joon. A prosecutor said Chung has ignored several summonses and subpoenaed him again, as the statute of limitations to probe election violations is approaching expiration. (Source: KBS Global.) NEW GAME: Payback. Spy Agency Spied on Citizens and Politicians (Feb 2008) It has been revealed that the National Intelligence Agency (NIS), the nation's top spy agency, accessed 74,660 types of confidential information of individual citizens for three years and eight months beginning January 2003 to August 2006. The activities of the spy agency were high during July and August 2006, a period when it reviewed, without authorization or prior consent, then-leading presidential contender Lee Myung-bak's personal information regarding real estate assets. The new finding was made public on 27 Feb by Grand National Party lawmaker Lee Sang-bae, who reviewed the monthly internal data of the agency's access to personal records gained through the Government Administration and Home Affairs Ministry`s Government for Citizens (G4C) system. According to the findings, the spy agency accessed social security information 48,590 times, family information 25,389 times, zoning information 655 times, and land recordings 14 times, among others. Since implementation of the Administrative Information Sharing System in August 2006, only a handful of staff members can review the personal information of a citizen. In particular, the NIS looked up personal records on real estate assets 620 times (94.6%), out of a total of 655, during just the two months of July and August 2006. The agency did not look up the real estate recordings other than during those two months. Last year, the spy agency confessed that one of its senior officials on its anti-corruption task force team had looked into the personal real estate records of President Lee Myung-bak's brother-in-law, Kim Jae-jeong. During the same period, the intelligence agency beefed up snooping activities in other areas, as well. Now, these findings are fueling suspicion, as some politicians alleged, that the intelligence agency spied on politicians, including President Lee. Rep. Lee demanded, "We can't ignore the fact that the intelligence agency looked into the personal lives of politicians under the Roh Moo-hyun administration. We have to know why the agency accessed the private information of individuals and politicians on so many occasions, and why it increased its surveillance into real estate records during July and August in 2006." (Source: Donga Ilbo.) (SITE NOTE: This is the first assault on the NIS which Lee Myeong-bak has promised to "reorganize." The much needed house-cleaning and reorganization needs to start immediately.) General Election Candidates Rises 43% (Feb 2008) The number of people registering to run in the general elections in April has risen substantially from the previous elections five years ago. The National Election Commission said Sunday that two thousand candidates have registered as of 17 Feb, up 43 percent from 2003. Among them, more than half are from the conservative Grand National Party and 22 percent from the liberal United Democratic Party. By profession, politicians accounted for the largest share, followed by lawmakers, educators, lawyers and businessmen. The election watchdog attributed surge to a delay in the candidate nomination process in each party. March 2008Poll indicates GNP Sweep in April (Mar 2008) In the latest poll, conducted by The Hankyoreh and polling agency Research Plus on March 1, 49.4 percent of respondents said they thought President Lee was doing well in managing the nation, while 23.7 percent said Lee was not. The remaining 26.9 percent either did not answer or said they did not know. The approval rating of former President Roh was 71.4 percent on March 29, 2003, just after his inauguration. And that of former President Kim was 84.8 percent on February 23, 1998, just before his inauguration. (SITE NOTE: But KDJ and RMH soon nosedived to new depths after their elections -- and Lee's troubles are the result of UNDP attacks that prevented his government from getting off to a solid start. After the April elections, there will be reprecussions.)While the president's approval ratings were far below the levels of his predecessors, 47.8 percent said they would support candidates from Lee's party in the April 9 election, raising the possibility that the conservative GNP will sweep the upcoming election. The approval ratings for the liberal United Democratic Party, a product of a political alliance forged between the United New Democratic Party and the Democratic Party ahead of the April election, were 13.9 percent. That was followed by the Democratic Labor Party with 2.9 percent, the Liberty Forward Party with 1.6 percent and the Creative Korea Party with 1.4 percent. When asked which party they favored, 51.9 percent said they supported the GNP, followed by the UDP with 14.6 percent, the DLP with 4.2 percent, the CKP with 2.8 percent and the LFP with 1.2 percent. (Source: Hankyoreh News.) However, after the nomination process within the GNP started receiving bad press, the numbers started to fall slightly. The nomination fiasco and power struggle between Park Geun-hee and Lee Myeong-bak was starting to show. Voters moving away from GNP before elections (Mar 2008) One out of three people who supported President Lee Myung-bak's election have changed their minds about his party and will not vote for the Grand National Party in the April legislative elections, according to a new poll released on 21 Mar. The result is a significant reversal. Just three months ago anything Lee touched seemed to turn to political gold. He won the election by 5.3 million votes and it seemed guaranteed that the Grand National Party would sweep the April 9 National Assembly elections with a massive majority. The new poll, conducted by telephone by the JoongAng Ilbo, SBS, EAI and Korea Research between last Sunday and Tuesday, asked a group of people who said they backed Lee in a December poll if they will vote for the GNP again in April. In December, 666 people out of 1,370 said they supported Lee. But when asked again, just 63 percent of those people said they will vote for the GNP. The remainder said they support a different party or have not yet decided. Another disturbing sign for the GNP is that the party's support rate, which shot up to 47.6 percent after the presidential election, has fallen to 39.8 percent. Many respondents said they were wary of one party acquiring too much power (40.3 percent), while others said they feel disappointed by what the Lee administration has done so far (23.8 percent). Another 13.4 percent said they were displeased with the GNP's performance. Only 11.9 percent said they felt the opposition party was doing a good enough job to cause them to change their minds. Critics say that voters are turning their backs after a series of announcements by Lee's government and his transition team at the beginning of the year. In an Internet poll, the public felt disturbed over Lee's support for a plan to emphasize teaching more English in schools and the fact that his cabinet ministers were found to be quite wealthy, while some were involved in ethical miscues. (Source: Joongang Ilbo.) Voter turnout likely to drop with interest weakening (Mar 2008) Voter turnout will likely decline for the April 9 general elections as voters' interest in domestic politics is diminishing amid deepening economic woes, the nation's election watchdog said 23 Mar. A slim majority, or 51.9 percent, are determined to cast ballots in the elections, according to a survey of 1,500 voters done jointly by the National Election Commission (NEC) and Korea Research last week. The figure is nearly 10 percentage points lower than that for the previous elections in 2004, the NEC said, expressing concern that voters may stay away from the polls due to weakening interest in politics. Four years ago, the figure was 61.5 percent, close to the 60.6 percent of eligible voters who cast ballots. (SITE NOTE: Another report stated that nearly 38 million were expected to turnout for the vote. The number of voters registered for the April 9 general elections was tallied at 37.8 million, up 6.2 percent from four years earlier, the Ministry of Public Administration and Security said on 23 Mar. The rise is attributable to a steady population increase, growing life expectancy and a lowering of the eligible voting age to 19 from 20 as of August 2005, the ministry said in a statement. A total of 623,377 19-year-olds are eligible to cast votes in the upcoming elections. ) Only 11.1 percent said they were "very much interested" in the upcoming elections, while 5.8 percent said they were "interested," according to the NEC. Regarding their familiarity with candidates in their districts, only 10.7 percent said they were very familiar with them, while 47.3 percent said they only knew a few candidates. As many as 42 percent responded that they knew almost nothing. Nearly half of the respondents, 49.8 percent, did not know that they need to cast two ballots, one for a candidate and another for a party. (Source: Yonhap News.) (SITE NOTE: On 23 Mar, there were worries that the election may in fact turn out to be one of the lowest in recent history.) Most Koreans Still Have Hopes for Lee Myung-bak (Mar 2008) Fifty-two percent of Koreans approve of President Lee Myung-bak's performance, a special poll conducted by Gallup Korea for the Chosun Ilbo on this newspaper's 88th anniversary suggests. And an overwhelming 79.3 percent of respondents expect Lee to do better in future. The telephone poll was conducted among 1,022 people, aged 19 and older. The poll has a 3.1 percentage-point margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level. The sample was selected randomly in proportion to regional populations. The response rate was 17.5 percent. A majority of respondents (52 percent) approved of Lee's performance since his inauguration, as against 29 percent who disapproved. This is a relatively low approval rating for a just-inaugurated government. By age, less than half of those in their 20s (46 percent) and 30s (41.1 percent) approved of Lee's performance, while a majority of those in their 40s (53.6 percent) and 50s and older (62.3 percent) supported him. By region, the greatest number of approving respondents was on Lee's home turf in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, with 65.9 percent, followed by those in Incheon and Gyeonggi Province (54.1 percent), Busan and South Gyeongsang (51 percent), and Daejeon and Chungcheong provinces (50 percent). Lee's approval ratings in Seoul and Gwangju and Jeolla provinces were less than 50 percent -- in Seoul at 49.5 percent, and in Gwangju and Jeolla provinces at 40.1 percent. The poll confirms speculation that Lee's selection of some controversial Cabinet nominees had the most negative effect on his approval ratings. To the question "How did your impression of President Lee change after his selection of Cabinet nominees--" 45.2 percent of respondents were negative, saying either "a little worse" (29.9 percent) or "very bad" (15.3 percent). By contrast, a mere 20.3 percent were favorably impressed -- "very good" (4.5 percent) and "a little better" (15.7 percent). Some 23.8 percent said their impression did not change, and 10.7 percent had no response. To the question which party they will vote for in the general election-- 52.9 percent said the Grand National Party, followed by the United Democratic Party (15 percent), the Democratic Labor Party (4.7 percent), the Creative Korea Party (1.8 percent), and the Liberty Forward Party (1.2 percent). Some 2.7 percent of respondents supported independents, with 21.6 percent in the "don't know/no response" category. In a similar Gallup poll on Feb. 4, the GNP enjoyed a 53 percent approval rating, almost identical to Sunday's. The UDP's approval rating of 15 percent was 1.9 percentage points higher than 13.1 percent, the combined rating of the UDP's predecessor, the United New Democratic Party, and the Democratic Party before their merger. The approval rating of the LFP led by Lee Hoi-chang, Lee's failed rightwing challenger, fell sharply from 6.6 percent in the February poll to 1.2 percent. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.) (SITE NOTE: But soon the honeymoon was over as the selection process of the GNP in attempting to force out the Park Geun-hee faction split the party. At that point, the Korean polls showed the populace was losing interest in the elections. Lee Myeong-bak's image was being tarnished -- and not aided when Park Geun-hee basically came out and said he was a liar who failed to keep his promise to keep his hands out of party politics.) Samsung bribe-takers joined Lee government (Mar 2008) Kim Yong-chul, a former legal counsel of Samsung Group claimed on 29 Feb that several people associated with President Lee Myung-bak took kickbacks from the business giant. Kim Yong-chul said he plans to reveal the names of the bribe-takers through a press conference, adding pressure to the ongoing special inquiry into corruption allegations against Samsung. The list of bribe-takers includes not just top prosecutors and ministers in the Roh Moo-hyun government, but also people recently nominated or mentioned as possible candidates of the Cabinet or high-ranking officials of Cheong Wa Dae, Kim Yong-chul said in a radio interview on 29 Feb. "Besides some top officials in the prosecution and minister-level officials of the Participatory Government (of former President Roh Moo-hyun), those who have recently been touted or designated as Cabinet ministers or high-level positions at Cheong Wa Dae are also on the bribery list," Kim said on a radio talk show. Cheong Wa Dae is the presidential office. So far, Kim and the group have named three veteran prosecutors, including Lim Chai-jin, the prosecutor-general, as being on Samsung's tab. All of them have denied the accusation. Kim had earlier withdrew his plan to make public a list of "dozens of prosecutors" who he said took bribes from Samsung. But the Catholic Priests' Association for Justice, a progressive organization that has represented Kim against the nation's biggest conglomerate in the dispute, released the names of a couple of prosecutors who it said were bribed, including Prosecutor-General Lim Chai-jin. Lim denied the allegations. The group of Catholic priests which has organized press conferences for Kim met 29 Feb to discuss the details of the disclosure but said they would not make any announcement this week. The priests' association said it will decide whether to release the list of Lee's officials linked to bribery after an internal meeting. (Source: Korea Herald.) (SEE SAMSUNG SLUSH FUND SCANDAL) Spy chief, presidential aide bribed by Samsung: priests (Mar 2008) A group of priests on 5 Mar accused South Korea's new spy chief and a senior aide to President Lee Myung-bak of having regularly taken bribes from Samsung Group. But the presidential office immediately denied the allegation, calling it "groundless." In a nationally televised press conference, the Catholic Priests' Association for Justice alleged Kim Seong-ho, a former justice minister nominated as head of the National Intelligence Service; Lee Jong-chan, former Seoul High Prosecutors' Office chief appointed as senior presidential secretary for civil affairs; and Hwang Young-gi, former chairman of the Board of Woori Finance Holdings, took bribes from the conglomerate. Hwang was initially picked as head of the Financial Services Commission but he did not assume the post. The potentially explosive announcement came as Lee was filling the posts of his inaugural administration, with Kim yet to receive approval from the National Assembly as the spy chief. "I've never been asked to show business favor or taken bribes" from Samsung, Kim Seong-ho said in a statement. "Lee Jong-chan was on Samsung's list of names to take care of and regularly took bribes. As the head of the High Prosecutors' Office, he himself even visited Samsung Group Vice Chairman Lee Hak-soo's office to receive money for his summer vacation," Father Jeon Jong-hun, representative of the progressive priests' organization, said. The presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae rushed to step in. "According to an internal investigation, the allegation that those who were named received bribes was found to be groundless," presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan told reporters. The priests seemed to have received the three names from a former lawyer for Samsung Group who raised a slew of corruption allegations against Samsung in November to initiate the ongoing independent probe. Kim Yong-chul, who worked for Samsung from 1997 to 2004, claimed last week that some officials of the Lee administration accepted bribes from Samsung. Even though bribe taking is grave enough in South Korea to deprive government officials of their jobs, it remained to be seen whether the priests' action would influence the Lee administration. The priests earlier claimed then Prosecutor-general nominee Lim Chai-jin had accepted bribes from Samsung, but Lim won approval from the parliament. (Source: Yonhap News.) Whistleblower a no-show, so hearing is postponed (Mar 2008) Despite requests from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, high-profile whistleblower Kim Young-cheol refused to come to the National Assembly as a witness on 7 Mar, causing a scheduled hearing for the nominee to head the nation's top intelligence agency to be postponed. On 5 Mar, Kim, a former Samsung lawyer, claimed the nominee to head the National Intelligence Service, Kim Sung-ho, as well as Lee Jong-chan, the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, both routinely took bribes from Samsung. Both the accused and the conglomerate vehemently denied the charges, made through the Catholic Priests Association for Justice. Legislators from both the Grand National and United Democratic parties wanted to question Kim Young-cheol about the accusations. The United Democratic Party and the Grand National Party discussed 0n7Mar what they should do next. The Grand Nationals initially wanted to hold the confirmation hearing as scheduled. The United Democrats, meanwhile, discussed sending Kim Young-cheol an official notice requiring him to attend within five days, then reschedule the hearing to 12 Mar. The two sides failed to reach a compromise. The legislature has until March 23 to confirm Kim Sung-ho. If a hearing doesn't take place by then, President Lee Myung-bak can confirm his appointment without a hearing. Lee's new justice minister, Kim Kyung-hwan, questioned the whistleblower's motive for making the public accusations. ''Kim Yong-cheol made public the names of the officials, including the NIS chief-designate, on the eve of his confirmation hearing,'' the minister told the JoongAng Ilbo yesterday. ''The accuser's intentions are highly questionable.'' ''Before the press conference, I was told my name would be mentioned. I was really surprised,'' he said. ''If I had been named as a bribe-taker, I would have proven that Kim Yong-cheol's accusation is false and taken legal action against him.'' Kim Kyung-hwan urged the independent counsel to investigate the issue as soon as possible. The independent prosecutor's team, mandated to probe a series of corruption allegations against Samsung, said it will question Kim Yong-cheol as early as this weekend about his latest disclosure. The team has interviewed Kim for several days since January. Yun Jung-sok, an assistant prosecutor for Independent Counsel Cho Joon-woong, said Kim will be asked to provide evidence to back his claims. The initial 60-day period for the special prosecutor's investigation had been scheduled to end on 9 Mar, but investigators decided to extend their probe another 30 days. They can extend it 15 more days after that, if they choose. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.) Spy chief-designate suspected of using favors to buy apartment (Mar 2008) Kim Sung-ho, the South Korean spy chief-designate who has been accused of allegedly taking bribes from Samsung Group when he was a state prosecutor, is suspected of owning a pricey apartment in Seoul in his sister's name after he bought it from Samsung Corp., the group's construction and trading affiliate, via a favor from the conglomerate. The new accusation was reportedly made by Kim Yong-cheol, who blew the whistle on Samsung last fall when he launched the first in a series of corruption allegations against Samsung. The former Samsung chief attorney is being questioned by an independent counsel, who has a mandate to conduct a special probe into allegations that the conglomerate borrowed the names of its top executives to hide slush funds in bank and stock accounts, bribed public officials and illegally transferred control of the group's management from father to son. Kim, the former Samsung attorney, appeared to have told the independent counsel on March 14 that Kim Sung-ho, who has been nominated to head the National Intelligence Service, telephoned him about the apartment back when he was a Samsung employee. "When I was serving as the head of Samsung's legal department, though I can't remember the exact time, Kim, the nominee, called and asked me to look for an apartment at Galleria Palace," Kim, the former Samsung lawyer, was quoted as saying by a source. According to the source, Kim raised the new allegation on March 12, when he was questioned by the independent counsel as a "reference witness." After the receiving the phone call, the former Samsung attorney said that he called the president of Samsung Corp.'s housing division, who is only identified by the surname Lee, to deliver the request by the NIS nominee, who was a prosecutor at the time. It is believed that the former Samsung attorney told the independent counsel that he then gave the NIS nominee's phone number to the Samsung Corp. president, saying, "Let's give him one with a good view," according to the source. The Galleria Palace apartment, located in Jamsil-dong, in the Songpa district in southern Seoul, was sold in 2001 by Samsung Corp. and Hanwha Construction. The NIS chief-designate, Kim, 58, lives in a 164.3 square-meter unit on the 33rd floor in one of the buildings that is part of the apartment complex. Real estate brokers estimate the apartment is trading at between 2.1 billion won (US$2.1 million) and 2.4 billion won. A real estate broker said, "The home (of Kim, the nominee) is more expensive than other apartments of the same size because it has a good view of the Seokchon Lake." Records show that the apartment is owned by the NIS nominee's 69-year-old sister, but Kim has lived in the apartment since she acquired it in 2005. The NIS nominee moved to the apartment on April 4, 2005, after signing a rental contract under South Korea's unique "jonse" system, which allows a tenant to pay a sizable deposit to the landlord and pay no rent. At the time, the NIS nominee paid his sister 370 million won for the deposit. Kim was quoted as saying that he gave his sister another 100 million won when the contract was renewed in December 2007. At present, the average deposit for an apartment of the same size under a jonse contract is between 600 million won and 700 million won. Currently, the NIS nominee's sister is the sole tenant in an apartment in Busan worth some 190 million won and acquired under a separate jonse contract. Since May 2007, she had lived in another apartment in Busan with a mortgage worth some 250 million won. The Hankyoreh has attempted to call the nominee's sister repeatedly, but she has just hung up the phone. In response, a person close to the NIS chief-designate said, "There were no telephone calls made between Kim, the former attorney, and Samsung Corp. officials about the purchase of the apartment." Asked whether the NIS chief-designate borrowed his sister's name to take ownership of the apartment, the person said, "At that time, the sister had enough money to buy the apartment on her own because she sold her cookie factory in Busan." An official at Samsung Corp. said, "Though it's right that the apartments were sold in conjunction with Hanwha, all of them were sold legally and no favors were given. I have the understanding that the president was not involved in the sale in any way," the Samsung Corp. official said. (Source: Hankyoreh News.) GNP Releases Candidate List for General Elections (Mar 2008) A GNP parliamentary nomination screening committee has unveiled a preliminary list of 66 candidates for the April general elections. The confirmed number of nomination spots stands at 66, including 22 in Seoul and 23 in surrounding Gyeonggi Province. Of the 66 candidates, the Lee Myung-bak camp was believed to outnumber supporters of former party chief Park Geun-hye four-to-one. Only six candidates were neutral. The party’s screening committee will announce a second list some time next week. (SITE NOTE: The biggest problem was the schism caused by the "old age" factor to eliminate those over 70 from running for reelection -- most of whom belong to the Park Geun-hye camp. Unfortunately, five-time lawmaker Lee Sang-deuk, 73, the older brother of President-elect Lee Myung-bak and National Assembly vice speaker, has refused to step aside voluntarily creating a problem. Lee Sang-deuk was sent as a special envoy from President-elect Lee Myeong-bak to Japan on 15 Jan.) (SEE GNP Factions Squabble Over Nominations (Jan 2008).) Nat'l Assembly Nominations Signal Major Shakeup (Mar 2008) The ruling Grand National Party has yet to come up with their full list of candidates for the April 9 race. Things are pretty much deadlocked. After days of negotiations not a single agreement has been made on deciding the candidacies for Daegu and Busan. Some of them said there is a possibility that 40 to 50 percent of incumbent party legislators could be replaced in the screening. The GNP is also strengthening its qualification process for nominees including even existing lawmakers. This could mean up to a quarter of current lawmakers will be knocked out and so not surprisingly, the process is bogged down in debate. Three powerful supporters of Park Geun-hye have been eliminated in the last list. Rhee Q-taek, a key aide, and Han Sun-kyo, a Park supporter, were two of five incumbent lawmakers disqualified by the party's nominating committee, without giving any reason. Han served as spokesperson for Park during last year's GNP primaries. Rep. Yun Kun-young, a confidant of President Lee Myung-bak elected to the National Assembly under the proportional representation system, took Han's electoral district in the nomination. As for the nomination, the former party chairwoman said Han lost the nomination only because he had worked for her during the primaries. ``The worst case scenario has become a reality,'' she lamented, shortly after the nominations were unveiled. ``Han has no problem at all when it comes to the criterion the screening panel members used for the selection,'' she continued. The aide added Park would wait and see how it turns out in the nominations in South and North Gyeongsang provinces, strongholds of the GNP, and ``could make a grave decision'' if needed. The nomination committee said it was fair as they eliminated three from the Lee Myeong-bak side. The only problem is that the Park ones were powerful, multi-term legislaters while the LMB side were relative unknowns (Kho Jo-heung, Lee Jai-chang and Koh Hee-sun). Park is claiming that the nominations seem to be made along personal lines. President Lee has officially stayed out of the nomination process -- though he is most certainly working behind the scenes on it. There is a strong possibility that some who were not nominated may run as independents and in the worst case, the Park Geun-hye faction may break away from the GNP. Park is awaiting the nomination list for Seoul’s affluent Gangnam area and Gyeongsang Provinces, both of which are traditional GNP strongholds and a Park power base. The committee plans to make public the list of candidates for Gyeongsang electoral districts, where supporters of Park are the majority, early next week. If the GNP replaces Park supporters from that area there will be bitter turmoil within the party. (Source: Hankyoreh and Korea Times.) GNP chops bigwigs from nomination race (Mar 2008) The ruling Grand National Party denied parliamentary candidacy to 25 incumbent lawmakers on its home turf, Gyeongsang provinces, as the conservative party strove to improve its image ahead of April 9 elections. The party yesterday unveiled the list of its choices for 51 constituencies in Daegu, Busan, Ulsan and South and North Gyeongsang provinces. It left out about 10 lawmakers loyal to former party chairwoman and minority factional leader Park Geun-hye, including Reps. Kim Moo-sung, Kim Jae-won, Yoo Ki-june and Eom Ho-sung. Over 10 lawmakers of the mainstream group associated with President Lee Myung-bak also failed to get re-nomination. They include Park Hee-tae, vice speaker of the National Assembly, and Reps. Ahn Taik-soo, Kwon Oh-eul and Chung Hyung-gun. The nations two major parties are currently picking candidates for key constituencies. The nomination process has been moving at a slow pace as the parties are plagued by factional strife and mounting protests from unsuccessful hopefuls. Conflict within the ruling Grand National Party has reached a critical stage with Park Geun-hye and her allies openly asserting they have been made targets of political revenge by President Lees loyalists. They have threatened to take action, if unconvinced that the selection for Gyeongsang is carried out fairly. The intensifying in-house feud is undercutting the ruling partys chances in the elections, though it is still widely expected to win a majority. (Korea Herald.) (SITE NOTE: Park Geun-hye is furious and has publicly stated that the truce with Lee Myeong-bak is off. She feels that her supporters have been unfairly targeted, but has not announced what action her group will take next. "(The party's nomination screening committee) eliminated certain candidates in the nomination due to personal reasons," former GNP Chairwoman Park was quoted as saying through her public relations secretary Lee Jung-hyun. )Seniority Gone, New Faces Grab Nominations (Mar 2008) Seniority is considered evil, while new faces are portrayed as good, complained a three-term lawmaker who lost the nomination of the governing Grand National Party (GNP) on 14 Mar. Rep. Kwon Oh-eul said a disregard of legislative experience was distinct in the governing party's selection of candidates to run in the April 9 elections. Kwon is one of the 25 incumbents who failed to make the cut in the southeastern Gyeongsang Provinces, a stronghold for the conservative party. Chopping the senior lawmakers from the nomination is called a Friday night massacre. Twelve lawmakers from the Lee faction lost out and 10 from the Park faction. Three are neutral. Among lawmakers who have served more than three times, Lee Sang-deuk, Kang Jae-sup, the former GNP chairwoman, Chung Mong-joon and Chung Ui-wha survived. Those dropped also include 12 incumbents close to Lee including senior lawmaker Park Hee-tae, a close aide to President Lee Myung-bak.. The remaining three are known to be neutral. (SITE NOTE: We highly suspect that Lee Myeong-bak has already flagged these people to take over positions that will be vacated by Roh appointees -- or atleast the ones he's trying to force out now.)In the ruling Grand National Party, a group of pro-Park Geun-hye lawmakers strongly protested the party's decision to exclude them from its candidate selection list, hinting of a mass defection on 14 Mar. Rep. Kim Moo-sung, a three-time lawmaker and the right-hand man of former GNP chairwoman Park Geun-hye. "I leave my heart at the GNP, but my body leaves the party from this moment," Rep. Kim Moo-sung, a key supporter of Park, said in a press conference 14 Mar. "Some selfish members are ruining the party that I love with irrational nomination criteria that no one can approve of. This is an evident move to eliminate the Park faction before it grows to grasp power in the party." Kim is among the 10 pro-Park lawmakers who were let go. Other pro-Park lawmakers including Reps. Yoo Ki-joon and Lee In-ki are expected to follow suit after discussing their future course of action with Park. Around ten pro-Park lawmakers who were also eliminated met on 14 Mar to discuss their future plans, mulling over whether or not to run in the general elections by joining the Future Korea Party or the Liberty Forward Party. Some party insiders are concerned that the angry Park supporters may push for a party split, threatening the GNP's goal of grabbing a majority in the 299 National Assembly seats. But with the elections now less than a month away, such chances appear slim. (SITE NOTE: These folks will probably run as independents and the GNP may be greatly surprised that they stand a very good chance of being reelected. Photo recognition plays a great deal of importance in Korean voting as they really don't know that much about their candidates -- and usually vote for the old standby.)GNP selection committee Chairman Ahn Kang-min said the selection shows the governing party's decisiveness for reform but few accepted his remark at face value. The cut of incumbents is likely to have a considerable impact on election results as many of them expressed their willingness to run in the election as independents. The move to drop almost half of the sitting lawmakers in the region has fueled anger in a faction led by former Chairwoman Park Geun-hye, which asserts that it has been made a target of political revenge by backers of President Lee Myung-bak. The Grand National Party has as expected eliminated a large number of its 62 incumbent lawmakers from the Gyeongsang Provinces, the party's political heartland, in the selection of candidates for the general election next month. Twenty-five lawmakers or 43.5 percent were eliminated, the largest number in the party's history. With the nomination process moving slow due to mounting protests from unsuccessful hopefuls, the GNP has thus far picked 224 of a total of 245 candidates. Among them, 145 Lee loyalists have secured the party's ticket to the 42 of Park's. The intensifying feud has been threatening the GNP's chances in the April parliamentary elections although it is still widely expected to win a majority, backed by its landslide win in last year's presidential election. (Source: Yonhap News, Korea Times and Chosun Ilbo.) (SITE NOTE: With 145 Lee loyalists on the party's ticket compared to the 42 for the Park faction, it is looks pretty suspicious that a fix is in. Notice that none of the guys that were chopped from the Lee faction are raising waves. This leads to speculation that they've already been promised jobs in the Lee administration -- atleast the ones that Lee and his ministers are trying to force existing Roh appointees out of. Also I think these goofballs in the nominating committe are making a big mistake. Many Korean voters don't vote based on issues -- they vote on recognition. If the guy looks familiar -- as the incumbent is -- they simply vote him back in office. If the guy runs as an independent with a good photo, he stands a good chance of being reelected. Lee is making a big mistake that the Koreans voted HIM into office -- they didn't. They simply voted a conservative that the GNP put up for the vote. The second thing is that many Koreans remember that the GNP is the party that Park Geun-hee saved from extinction after the face-slapping fiasco of the Roh impeachment process. Lee Myeong-bak is playing a dangerous game in trying to stack the deck for the April election.)GNP’s selection process runs up against Park’s resistance (Mar 2008) The ruling Grand National Party’s candidate selection process has met with strong resistance from a minority faction led by former chairwoman Park Geun-hye. The lawmakers, who lost their chance at nomination after the party began eliminating people who have past records of corruption, declared one after another on March 14 that they would run as independents in the upcoming April 9 National Assembly election. According to an analysis of the political leanings of the GNP candidates in the 216 places, out of a total of 245 local electorates, in which this round of nominations were decided, more than 140 hopefuls are confidants of President Lee Myung-bak, while approximately 40 are known to be loyal to Park. Most of the 25 candidates who were selected over incumbent lawmakers to run in the National Assembly election are viewed as belonging to President Lee’s faction. The Yeongnam area encompasses the North and South Gyeongsang Provinces and is a conservative stronghold. The results of the GNP’s selection process appear to be connected with an attempt by the party leadership to transform the GNP into a party of the president. The fallout is expected to increase, as key members of the GNP reportedly have a plan to replace most of the incumbent lawmakers in seven electoral districts in southern Seoul, known to be the most conservative part of the city. In the press conference in which the announcement was made, Rep. Kim Moo-sung, a close confidant of Park Geun-hye, maintained that Cheong Wa Dae, or the Blue House, had interfered in the selection process. Kim criticized the party when he said the nominations had been made following the intentions of the presidential office. “A party that should be free of presidential power chose candidates to run in the elections according to the president’s will,” Kim said. “The rival party is impressing people in the course of its nomination process, while the GNP has been emotional in selecting its candidates.” The lawmaker added that the selection criteria had been decided by the presidential office. Park Geun-hye strongly criticized the candidate selection process for the Gyeongsang Provinces, according to Lee Jung-hyun, a close aide to Park. Lawmakers from Park’s faction met on March 14 to discuss a way to start a new party or to form a group of independents after breaking with the party, but were unable to reach a conclusion, said a politician who participated in the meeting, but asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue. On the previous day, the GNP’s supreme council, the party’s primary decision-making body, approved 51 candidates selected by the party's selection committee to run in the Gyeongsang Provinces. The council requested that the selection committee reexamine eight of the candidates. GNP spokeswoman Na Kyung-won remarked that the eight lawmakers have criminal records or had once broken with the party to run in the election as independents or candidates for another party. The GNP’s selection committee is also planning to choose candidates for seven electorates in Gangnam, its key stronghold, on March 16, but most of the seven incumbent lawmakers are expected to be replaced. An official of the party said, “As far as I know, top party leaders and key members of the screening committee met at the presidential office and were near agreement on changing most of the incumbent lawmakers in Gangnam.” The GNP’s ethics committee plans to convene a meeting on March 16 to examine figures whose qualifications have been questioned. The ethics committee plans to convey the list candidates to be disqualified to the party's supreme council soon. (Source: Hankyoreh News.) Conservative Party Could Drop Controversial Candidates (Mar 2008) The ethics committee of the conservative Grand National Party asked its Supreme Council Sunday to replace 12 candidates running for the general elections next month. The 12 include those who served prison terms, those who challenged the outcome of the party primaries, those who left the party but came back, and those who kept switching parties. Candidates who served time in prison were Kim Taek-gi (Gangwon Province), Lee Hak-jae (Incheon) and Ahn Byeong-yong (Seoul). Those who challenged the party primaries or left the party were Song Gwang-ho (North Chungcheong Province), Lee Jong-hyuk (Busan), Yoon Young (South Gyeongsang Province) and Jeong Jae-hak (Gyeonggi Province). Those who constantly changed parties were Jeong Duk-gu (South Chungcheong Province), Lee Hyun-jae (Gyeonggi Province), Choi Jong-chan (Anyang), Hyun Gi-hwan (Busan) and Park Sang-eun (Incheon). Among them, Kim, Lee Hak-jae, Ahn, Jeong Jae-hak, and Park are under a committee review because the party’s Supreme Council has postponed their nominations. The committee also urged a reassessment of candidates Kim Ho-yeon (South Chungcheong Province) and Jang Jae-won (Busan) for their alleged corruption. Lawmakers Nam Gyeong-pil and Park Hyung-joon issued a joint statement saying, “Some candidates were unfairly selected to replace incumbent lawmakers in the Gyeongsang provinces (the party’s stronghold). We need to correct the wrong nomination process, which does not fit principles and standards, through an appropriate method.” Both lawmakers supported the decision of the ethics committee, saying the figures replacing incumbents are supposed to be better. They said it is hard to understand how those who served time in prison for corruption and those who changed parties for their own interests were chosen. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.) Snubbed GNP Lawmakers to Form Pro-Park Alliance Incumbent lawmakers close to former Grand National Party Chairwoman Park Geun-hye who were snubbed as candidates for the general elections will form a new alliance centered around Park. Rep. Kim Moo-sung and about ten pro-Park lawmakers of the conservative party made the decision yesterday after a meeting in Seoul. They have declared that they will bolt from their party. Among them are Suh Chung-won, an adviser to Park during the party primaries last year, and Rep. Hong Sa-duk, who was Park’s chief campaigner. Park Jong-keun and Lee Hae-bong (Daegu); Lee Kyeong-jae (Incheon); Lee In-ki and Kim Tae-whan (North Gyeongsang Province); Yu Ki-june; Han Sun-kyo (Gyeonggi Province); and senior party member Jeon Yong-won (Gyeonggi Province) will reportedly join the independent alliance. “We have decided to run in the elections in consideration of the situation that each person faces and return alive so that we can join forces to make Park Geun-hye president,“ Kim told reporters after the meeting. “Although independent candidates cannot help the campaigns of other independent candidates, we can identify ourselves as pro-Park on election posters. So we are studying ways to form a coalition.” (SITE NOTE: The use of Park Geun-hee's name in the party name, "Pro-Park Party", is being studied by the NEC though they admit that there is nothing that prevents this. Park Geun-hee has not made any comments at this time.) Kim added, “We will strictly limit the number of people who can join our alliance by choosing only those who worked for Park’s camp during the primaries and who have a high chance of winning in the elections.” On if he consulted with Park on the decision, Kim said, “We had no such intention. This is something that we have to take care of.” Lawmakers Lee Q-taek (Gyeonggi Province) and Eom Ho-sung (Busan) will also run in the general elections by joining and changing the nature of the Future Korea Party as a pro-Park party. Pro-Park figures will also employ a two-track strategy that allows them to run in either of two ways best suited for each candidate in their constituency and establish a united front. (Source: Donga Ilbo.) Park Silent -- and then Blasts GNP (Mar 2008) Amid the commotion created by supporters trying to launch a party named after her, Park Geun-hye, the former chairwoman of the Grand National Party, has kept silent. Park has remained out of sight for more than a week since expressing displeasure with the results of the GNP's selection of its candidates to run for the National Assembly. At the same time, she has been refusing to show up at her party's campaign rallies, an action that her aide, three-term lawmaker Kim Moo-sung, said in a radio interview was her way of protesting the party's decision. Next Monday, however, Park will travel to Daegu, a traditional conservative stronghold where she won 70 percent of the votes in her campaign against Lee Myung-bak in the presidential primary last year. Her aides said she will not get involved in any campaign activities, and is only going there to rest. Word of her visit was met with enthusiasm in Daegu. "If she decides to help the independents, it will be hard for the GNP to win votes in Daegu," said Lee Wi-rak, 60, a taxi driver in Daegu. Do Yong-cheol, 39, a snack store owner, said she was angry that "the GNP used Park and now they are trying to destroy her." (Source: Joongang Ilbo.) On 23 Mar in a news conference, Park Geun-hye said the party's nominations run counter to efforts to reform the party and have caused internal factional conflict. She urged the party leadership and chairman to take responsibility for the nomination process, which she said lacked principle. Park said she will not participate in campaigning to drum up support for the party, or publicly back candidates who launched independent bids after failing to get the party's nomination. She wished the indepedent runners good luck, however, saying they suffered an unfair political decision. (Source: KBS Global.) Many candidates of the pro-Park alliance are expected either to win in the election, or to work as spoilers to GNP candidates. The latest YTN poll found these pro-Park candidates played a role in splitting the conservative vote. Park Geun-hye said, “I was cheated, and so were the people. The party chairman and leadership should take responsibility for the situation." Park, who lost to Lee Myung-bak in the presidential primary, made it clear she will not be campaigning for party candidates across the country. That will make things harder for the party especially in marginal constituencies in the Seoul metropolitan region and Chungcheong provinces. In a press conference at the National Assembly on 23 Mar, Park said, "The party nomination was a foolish process and a significant step backward for Korean party politics. It clearly showed at what level our politics now stands. It also showed that if you fail to win the nomination, you're finished, and that survival in politics depends on knowing where the wind blows rather than on your ability or vision for the country.” But she said throughout all the “deceit and betrayal” in the political arena, “you have to maintain respect for at least something. Many people told me that I would be cheated, but I had hoped that the promise” of fair nomination “and mutual trust would be honored." While Park did not mention President Lee by name, she barely concealed her dissatisfaction with him, saying, "Power cannot prevail over justice." "The principle" of power sharing where Lee holds the presidency and Park the party leadership "was not kept," she said, and Lee "knows well how I feel now" toward him. It has taken barely a month for the uneasy truce between the two rivals to start disintegrating. ``The GNP showed a retreat from party politics in the selection. The party leaders have made stupid choices and they broke the promise that they would do their best to bring transparency to party politics if given a last chance in the 2004 elections,'' she said. (SITE NOTE: Park has just called Lee Myeong-bak a liar and someone whose promises cannot be trusted. This is significant as in the eyes of many voters, this bodes ill for the future of his administration.) Meanwhile, GNP chairman Kang Jae-sup abruptly announced he will not run in the general election. Factions within the party had previously demanded that Lee Sang-deuk, the vice speaker and elder brother of Lee Myeong-bak, step aside. However, Lee Sang-deuk, speaking from his constituency in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, rejected the demand, which he said was instigated by a “certain faction” within the party. “I'm going to run in the general election as scheduled and wait for the voters to make their own judgment,” he vowed. Lawmaker Lee Jae-oh, the de facto leader of the pro-Lee groups, met with President Lee at Cheong Wa Dae on 23 Mar, would not run for a seat to take responsibility for conflict in the party. Lee Jae-oh’s departure could lead to a redrawing of the party’s power structure after the election. He asked Lee to intercede and proposed that he and Lee Sang-deuk step aside. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.) UDP Shake up in Nomination Process (Mar 2008) The United Democratic Party based its selection of candidates to run in April’s National Assembly election on candidates who are “reformist,” a code word for, among other things, being clean. Specifically, it has prohibited people who have been found guilty of crimes of corruption from running. After two days of heated overnight meetings at the UDP headquarters, the candidacy screening committee says it has performed background checks and is ruling out all nominees with fishy personal histories or connections to unlawful political funds. Despite strong opposition within the party to loosen up on the strong stance, the party had no choice but to accept the outcome. Seven out of the total 12 voters said their nominees needed more transparency. Party insiders say the screening process could shake out an estimated 30 percent of acting party members from the Jeolla Provinces. (SITE NOTE: As such cronies of Kim Dae-jung have been eliminated from running causing some disputes. The list excluded 11 high-profile figures from the process based on the idea that it would eliminate politicians with histories of involvement in corrupt activities. Excluded from the candidate list are Kim Hong-up, the son of former President Kim Dae-jung; Park Jie-won, the former president's former chief of staff; and Ahn Hee-jung, a close aide to former President Roh Moo-hyun.) (Source: Hankyoreh.) 15 Incumbents Chopped from UDP Nominations (Mar 2008) The main opposition United Democratic Party also unveiled its second list of nominees yesterday which showed six more sitting legislators dropped out in the nomination race. Among the rejected were Rep. Rhee In-je, the unsuccessful former presidential candidate, as well as three incumbents in Seoul. The six additions make a total of 15 UDP incumbents who have so far been dropped by the party. On 13 Mar, the party let slip a list of nine incumbents who have been turned down that included Rep. Kim Hong-up, the second son of former President Kim Dae-jung. According to party officials, those on the list were eliminated for reasons including poor job performance, low public approval ratings, frequent change of party affiliations or criminal records. The party is expected to announce its final list of candidates this weekend. The biggest figure to topple was Rhee In-je. Rhee was not chosen to run because he has bolted his party too many times in the past, whenever it fell out of popularity. Rhee, a two-time presidential candidate, former labor minister and former governor of Gyeonggi Province, is a UDP member representing his hometown of Nonsan, South Chungcheong. If he runs as an independent, there is a high probability he will win. UNP lawmaker Rhee announced in a press conference on 14 Mar, "I have to say that the party expelled me through the nomination. Once again, I will stand in the wilderness alone and decide my future course after listening to my fellow politicians and the voters that have raised me up." On the remark that his elimination is because he has frequently switched parties, Rhee refuted it, saying, "I have always stuck with reform forces." In addition, Rep. Lee Keun-sik, who was also eliminated in the nomination process, submitted a document declaring his departure from the UNP. Other disqualified candidates in the Jeolla provinces, such as Shin Jung-sik, Lee Sang-yul, and Chae Il-Byung, have decided to form a group, tentatively titled, the Democratic Peace Alliance. Faced with public support of only 15 percent, the liberal party has basically given full independence to its candidate vetting committee in setting up the nomination standards and the selection process, in an attempt to prove its reform efforts to the public. However, the candidate vetting committees push for strict ethical criteria has led to frequent conflicts with party leaders and veteran politicians. (Korea Herald.) Among the 24 electoral districts based in the Jeolla provinces, the committee announced yesterday it had eliminated nine incumbents. The list included Chung Dong-chea, who served as culture minister in the Roh Moo-hyun administration. Revamping the Jeolla region was one of the main goals of the UDP nominating committee. It had announced it would replace about 30 percent of the incumbent lawmakers in the region. Nomination Committee Enraged (Mar 2008) Park Jae-seung, the head of the committee, and the nomination committee became enraged when party leaders selected two lawmakers who had been denied nominations for the April elections and gave them powerful new jobs in the party. The two, Kim Min-seok and Shin Geh-ryoon, were named members of another party committee that will nominate candidates this time under the proportional representation system, the party said on 20 Mar. The nomination committee said the move ran contrary to its decision to part company with lawmakers who have been sentenced to jail for bribery and demanded that the UDP reverse the decision. The demand was rebuffed. Sohn Hak-kyu, the co-chairman of the UDP said, "The party heads have the right to appoint the nomination committee. The decision was taken according to the proper procedures." (Source: Joongang Ilbo.) 14.6 Pct. of Election Candidates Have Criminal Records (Mar 2008) Of the candidates running for the April 9 general elections, 14.6 percent of them have criminal records for violations such as narcotics possession, arson, bribery and document forgery. Their rap sheets will serve as key factors in the elections, as they will be sent to each household along with election guideline brochures. Of the 932 registered candidates, 136 have criminal records: 93 with one conviction, 31 with two, and 12 with three. By region, Gyeonggi Province has the most number of ex-cons running for office with 37, followed by Seoul with 31. South Chungcheong Province and North Gyeongsang Province each have only three candidates with criminal records. By party, the liberal United Democratic Party has the most candidates with priors with 42, while the conservative Grand National Party (GNP) has only 15. Almost half of the candidates from both the Democratic Labor Party and the New Progressive Party have criminal records. Thirty-four of 81 DLP candidates and 10 of the 23 NPP candidates have prior criminal histories. But most such candidates from the UDP, DLP and NPP have prior records due to involvement in past labor and democratic movements. The NPP’s Park Yong-jin was sentenced to prison terms three times for taking part in student and labor movements, but was pardoned on all three occasions. Among female candidates, Kim Hee-sun has two convictions related to taking part in civic demonstrations. Several candidates, however, are under fire for being convicted for election crimes. One candidate to run in Seoul was sentenced 18 months in prison with a two-year stay of execution for smoking marijuana. Another running in South Gyeongsang Province was busted for tax evasion, obstruction of work and embezzlement. The candidate remained on probation until late last year. One candidate running in Gyeonggi Province was sentenced to one year in prison for violating a law on public health crimes, while another candidate running in South Chungcheong Province was sentenced to one year for breaking medical law. One independent running in South Chungcheong Province got three years and another independent in South Gyeongsang Province one year. Other candidates were charged with violating building laws, professional negligence and document forgery. (Source: Donga Ilbo.) Large group of swing voters poses threat to ruling party (Apr 2008) The number of swing voters has increased by a large margin 10 days ahead of South Korea's parliamentary elections, signaling trouble for President Lee Myung-bak's conservative party, according to polls out on 30 Mar. Although the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) continues to enjoy high popularity, backed by Lee's landslide presidential victory last year, its hopes of securing a solid majority in the legislature have been faltering mainly due to a recent split among the conservative bloc. While the GNP's approval rating is gradually sliding, the percentage of undecided voters has increased by nearly 10 percentage points, according to surveys conducted over the weekend. "Polls show that many of those who initially supported the GNP have chosen to delay decision following the split of the conservatives," said political analyst Im Myung-jin. "While the increase in floating votes means better chances for the opposition party and the minor conservative group, it could pose further threat to the GNP."  Chung Dong-young and Chung Mong-joon vie for Dongjak B District in Seoul. Chung Mong-joon accused of sexual harassment for touching the cheek of wife by MBC reporter -- in front of wife and another pack of reporters as part of UDP smear campaign. (9 Apr 2008) In a poll of 6,000 voters, the independent polling group Global Research said on 30 Mar that 32.9 percent supported the ruling GNP, while 15.3 percent favored its rival United Democratic Party (UDP). As many as 31.6 percent said they were undecided. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. While the GNP's popularity dropped by 9 percent points compared to a similar poll last month, the approval rating of an alliance of candidates who bolted the GNP rose by 7 percentage points. The UDP's popularity remained unchanged, showing that the liberal party has failed, thus far, to lure the floating conservative voters. Supporters of former GNP Chairwoman Park Geun-hye bolted from the ruling party en masse to run as independents in the April 9 elections, jeopardizing the conservative party's chances of winning big especially in its home turf Gyeongsang provinces. With a total of 68 seats up for grabs in its home turf, it is critical for the GNP to win big in the region to secure a majority of seats in the 299-member National Assembly. Should the party fail to secure a simple majority in the single-chamber parliament, the Lee administration will face hurdles in pushing ahead with reform bills during its five-year term. The split of the GNP is a product of an ugly internal feud over the party's nomination of candidates in which many pro-Park figures dropped out. Park, who retains considerable political influence among the country's right-wingers, has been indirectly supporting the independent candidates by refusing to join her party's electioneering. She claims that her supporters were victims of factionalism. Pro-Park candidates are either ahead or neck-and-neck in races with GNP nominees in 92 of the 245 constituencies to be filled with candidates to be chosen by direct votes, the local daily Munhwa Ilbo said, citing a March 29 survey. The remaining 54 slots will be filled with candidates to be picked in proportion to indirect votes to be cast to each party. The GNP is believed to be ahead in the proportional representation votes.  Though Park Geun-hee is not campaigning for the pro-Park, neither did she object to her crying poster for the pro-Park candidates. (9 Apr 2008) President Lee's controversial plan to build cross-country waterways and the recent aggravation of inter-Korean relations are also posing threats to his party. Opposition candidates are trying to use Lee's unpopular canal project to swing voters in their favor. South Koreans are badly spilit over the canal project. Supporters say that it would help revive the economy, while critics argue that it is econominally infeasible and would only wreak environmental havoc. The GNP has kept the controversial canal project off its campaign pledges, but rival parties have cried foul, accusing it of trying to dodge issues that may prove unfavorable to the ruling camp. Liberal parties led by the UDP are also upping the offensive against the Lee government's hard-line North Korea policy, claiming that it has strained relations between the two Koreas. The North's communist regime last week expelled 11 South Korean officials from a joint industrial site and fired several short-range missiles into the West Sea, in an apparent show of discontent toward the Lee government's tougher North Korea stance. Striving to downplay a possible negative political blow, the GNP has been refraining from making strong comments on both issues. "But the GNP is unlikely to see a greater drop in approval ratings with the Lee Myung-bak effect still strong," the analyst, Im, added. "With many new candidates unfamiliar to the public, the overall popularity of parties will likely decide the outcome of this year's elections." (Source: Yonhap News.) April 2008APRIL 9 ELECTIONS40-Something Voters to Determine Winners of Election (Apr 2008) With the April 9 National Assembly elections approaching, voters in their 40s, who withdrew their support from the governing Grand National Party (GNP), are behind the increasing number of undecided voters. Public opinion polls found an unusual trend in the population of undecided voters -- the rate has risen from 26.1 percent in February to 41.2 percent in March in a Chosun Ilbo newspaper poll. Pollsters said that they were supporters of President Lee Myung-bak who withdrew their support of the governing GNP after the nomination fiasco involving certain Cabinet ministers.The results show stark contrast to the conventional wisdom of undecided voters tending to decrease as election day approaches. The Chosun Ilbo survey showed 19.5 percent of 40-something voters withdrawing support for their candidate. About 60 percent of them are former GNP supporters. The poll said 16.8 percent of voters in their 30's changed their minds. Given that the combined population of voters in their 30s and 40s accounts for about 45 percent of total registered voters, their votes will have a considerable effect on election results. In the meantime, they are still waiting to decide who to vote for in the upcoming election. Political consultant Park Sung-min said undecided voters were ``confused'' since they failed to look at alternative parties. Regarding these voters' choices, pollster Han Gui-young of the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI) said, ``Although the GNP's support is much higher than that of any other party in most polls, voters' preferences of the governing party seemed not to have a direct effect on their choices for lawmakers in their districts,'' she said. ``In fact, voters are more interested in the qualification of candidates, rather than their preferred party.'' Low Voter Turnout Likely A public opinion survey conducted by the National Election Commission (NEC) on March 21 indicated that record-low voter turnout is likely for Wednesday's elections. Only 51.9 percent of respondents said they would vote, indicating voter turnout is likely to be the lowest ever. Pollster Han of the KSOI said it is difficult to predict which party would benefit most from the low turnout, which was 63.9 percent in the 1996 elections and 57.2 percent in the 2000. Participation was slightly higher in 2004 at 60.6 percent. Pollsters interpreted the backlash against the contentious presidential impeachment had motivated many voters to show up in 2004 to vote against the then-main opposition GNP. They said it would be difficult to have high voter turnout in the upcoming elections as there are few outstanding issues that interested voters this time. (SITE NOTE: We think it is simply that people who were progressives see no chance that they will influence the election results and they won't show up. The UDP has lost their confidence and they simply choose not to vote for anyone.) North Korea Factor Pyongyang has been engaged in a series of accusations against President Lee since last week and even threatened Seoul with military action. President Lee urged the North to calm down and find a mutually beneficial solution instead of bickering. Amid the security standoff ahead of the April 9 elections, veteran politicians have expressed skepticism toward the possible impact of escalating tensions. On the occasion of the opening of the Asia Society Korea Center, former Prime Minister Lee Hong-koo told reporters that the North Korea would not have a profound effect on the elections. ``South Koreans are no longer interested in Pyongyang, mainly because the North typically uses such tactics before elections,'' he said. The former prime minister added people here would be neither intimidated nor threatened by the North. (SITE NOTE: The Korean people simply are not worried about the military threat from the North with its food shortages, lack of oil and inability to foster an attack. They watched as the Roh administration used every threat as an excuse to add more giveaways. It is now like the boy who cried wolf. The ROK people are not listening. If the DPRK did attack, it would be suicide -- instant annihilation of the country. The ROK now has increasing confidence in their high-tech military advances -- though IMHO I think it is all media hype. The ROK is NOT the backbone of its defense -- the USFK remains the key deterent.) (Source: Korea Times.) Amid reports that the governing party will secure a majority at the National Assembly, the nation heads to the polls today to elect 299 lawmakers. If the conservative Grand National Party (GNP) secures 50% or more of seats in the unicameral legislature, President Lee Myung-bak will be able to pursue a reform drive in the economy, his cross-country canal project and inter-Korean relations. However, his leadership will be tested if the main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) wins in more than 100 districts. (SITE NOTE: Lee Myeong-bak's blatant attempt to stack the deck of the GNP with his supporters may backfire on him. The voters in the Presidential election did NOT vote for him, but rather the conservative candidate to get rid of the progressives. The people remember that Park Geun-hee is the one who salvaged the party and his stabbing her in the back may backfire on him with the GNP defectors gaining votes.) What's of interest is whether the minor conservative Liberty Forward Party (LFP) gains the 20 or more seats needed to form a parliamentary negotiation group. A considerable number of independents, mostly deserters from major parties, are expected to do well, posing a particular threat to the GNP. Progressive forces are divided into two. Of 299 seats up for grabs, 245 are elected through direct voting in each district nationwide, while the remaining 54 seats are allocated to parties according to the number of votes they win. In a last-ditch campaign, the conservative GNP appealed to voters to help the party secure at least a simple majority in the Assembly. But the main opposition UDP warned that the governing party will seek to change the Constitution unless the UDP holds at least one-third of the seats, or 100. (SITE NOTE: This is b.s. as the UDP (then Uri Party) was the one's who wanted the Presidential amendment under Roh.) In a move to boost voter turnout beyond 50 percent, Chairperson Koh Hyun-chul of the National Election Commission (NEC) asked people to exercise the right to vote without fail. ``If you genuinely want to make a difference, you need to exercise your right to vote. Voting is a powerful tool which can bring changes in politics as well as the economy,'' Koh said in a nationally televised speech. An opinion survey taken in March said only 51.9 percent of respondents answered they would definitely vote. Voter turnout in the 1996 elections marked 63.9 percent, which dropped to 57.2 percent in the 2000 elections. The 2004 elections saw a slight increase to 60.6 percent. Pollsters said the 9 Ap election could mark the lowest voter turnout ever. Good weather will also reduce it as many people will take the day off for trips. Pollsters forecast more than 10 independents will win in the elections, which will have considerable ramifications for party politics in the post-election season. A poll taken April 2 showed that 16 independent candidates were leading and 10 others were in too close to call contests. The number of lawmakers who won as independents has been on the downturn since the 1992 elections in which 21 won seats. The 1996 elections saw 16, which fell to 5 in 2000 and 2 in 2004. Campaign experts said there is no doubt the 2008 elections could take a drastic turn when it comes to the number of independent winners. About thirty-eight million people are eligible to cast ballots at 13,246 ballot boxes nationwide. Voting begins at 6 a.m. and ends at 6 p.m. (SITE NOTE: My wife went to vote at 6:15am as the polls opened at 6am. She doesn't sleep at nights so this is normal for her, but it might be indicative of the overall voter turnout that might be higher than expected.) Of them, 620,000 are 19 year-olds who recently became eligible voters for the first time. There is a meaningful demographic shift in these voters _ the number of people in their 20s and 30s has decreased, while those in their 40s or older have increased, indicating that parties popular among the older generation could benefit from the demographic change. (Source: Korea Times.) Results What we said leading up to this election turned out true. We said that Lee Myeong-bak was making a big mistake in trying to stack the deck in the nomination process of the GNP. We stated that Koreans vote by photo recognition -- meaning incumbents are reelected. Those that ran as independents from the GNP by-and-large were successful. We also said that the voters did NOT elect Lee Myeong-bak per se. They elected the candidate of the GNP. The voters remembered that it was Park Geun-hee that saved the GNP and brought it back to the place it is today -- not Lee Myeong-bak. (SITE NOTE: We still feel that if Park had run as an independent in the election, she just might have been elected President.) The exit polls were off again -- and the day after the election, they were running around blaming everything but the gods for the differences in their numbers. Lee did NOT get the majority for his side when he tried to rig the elections. In fact, two of his big supporters were defeated. The UDP campaign to "Keep the GNP in Check by voting UDP" failed miserably. The conservatives grabbed 70 National Assembly seats that had been previously held by liberals. The results were:
 Results Comparison (10 Apr 2008) (Joongang Ilbo) As soon as the election results were in, the media more or less went silent. Yes, there was the victory celebrations, but there was so much blood on the ground from all the UDP standard bearers that talking about the election meant stepping in the gore. Also as LMB didn't get his majority (168 required) as he expected, his comments have been muted. On the other hand, the Park Geun-hee factions are consolidating their forces now that they have received the election results to consider their next moves. It is apparent that LMB has become a bitter enemy to the Park Geun-hee forces and the choice is whether to remain with the GNP -- or to split away. Immediately after the election, LMB was now looking to try to mend his fences as he didn't have the majority that he thought he could finagle. Park Geun-hye Proves Political Clout (Apr 2008) Rep. Park Geun-hye of the Grand National Party (GNP) has proved her strong political influence again as ``pro-Park'' figures including GNP splinters and independents supporting her succeeded in forming a parliamentary negotiation bloc by winning about 30 seats in the 9 Apr elections. Political groups must hold 20 seats or more to create a negotiation group. ``Pro-Park Geun-hye Alliance,'' led by Suh Chung-won, won seven electoral districts while independent runners gained 25 seats in the 299-member Assembly. Of the independents, about 20 are referred to as pro-Park candidates who bolted from the GNP last month amid bitter factional fighting with ``pro-Lee Myung-bak'' politicians. Most of those dropped argued the candidate selection was a political tactic to remove supporters of Park, the eldest daughter of the late President Park Chung-hee. Park strongly denounced the process, boycotting campaign speeches for GNP candidates. She said to the deserters, ``Come back after surviving.''  Park Geun-hye expresses her thanks yesterday to voters in Dalseong, Daegu, where she got about 88 percent of the votes in her re-election bid. [YONHAP] Kim Moo-sung, who won in a Busan district with support of more than 60 percent, said after the exit polls that he and other successful pro-Park candidates would return to the GNP. ``My victory is the people's judgment on the GNP selection procedure, which went against the people's wishes,'' Kim, one of the closest confidants of Park, said. ``Now things that resulted from the wrong process should be restored.'' It is unclear, however, if the GNP will accept the deserters because the party is expected to secure the majority of parliamentary seats up for grabs without them. GNP Chairman Kang Jae-sup earlier made it clear that the party will not accept the deserters even if they are elected, while former GNP Chairwoman Park insists the party should allow the ``victims'' of the selection to ``come back home.'' Park herself won election support of some 90 percent of her district in Daegu. (Source: Korea Times.) Conservatives now in full control (Apr 2008) Following Wednesday's elections, political conservatives will hold about two-thirds of the seats in the 299-member National Assembly, pushing aside the liberals who have held the majority for the last decade. Conservative politicians took about 70 seats that had been held by liberals. 9 Apr's elections were clear triumphs for the conservative Park Geun-hye, daughter of the late military president Park Chung Hee, as well as President Lee Myung-bak, who will have a friendly majority to work with. The losers, however, include the so-called 386-generation lawmakers and many of the democracy fighters from the 1970s. Only one-third of the 386 generation lawmakers (the term coined several years ago to describe people in their 30s, who went to college in the 1980s and were born in the 1960s), won seats. Many of the 1970s democracy fighters, such as Kim Geun-tae, Rhyu Si-min and Yoo Ihn-tae, no longer have seats in the Assembly. Lee's Grand National Party has the most seats, winning 153 to snatch a narrow majority in the National Assembly. He has plenty more lawmakers who share his ideolog |
