Conservative Leaders Choosing 'Breakthrough'... Now the Ball Is in Hwang Kyo-ahn's Court

Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the Liberty Korea Party, Shim Jae-cheol, floor leader, and other supreme council members are attending the supreme council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 10th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy reporters Lee Ji-eun and Kim Hye-min] Following Yoo Seung-min, chairman of the Conservative Reconstruction Committee of the New Conservative Party, announcing his decision not to run, independent lawmaker Lee Jung-hyun also withdrew his intention to run in Jongno, citing conservative unification. As a result, the responsibility for promoting unification and reform nominations appears to have shifted to Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the Liberty Korea Party.

On the 10th, Lee issued a statement saying, "In a situation where the leader of the main opposition party has declared his candidacy in Jongno, it is only natural that I, as a former party leader, yield," thereby reversing his decision to run. Having served as the leader of the Saenuri Party, the predecessor of the Liberty Korea Party, he had announced his candidacy for Jongno on the 4th, but concerns about splitting the conservative vote arose after Hwang declared his candidacy on the 7th. It appears that Lee decided to withdraw his candidacy as a result. He explained his reason, saying, "To put an end to the Moon Jae-in administration, all parties and factions must unite as one, and I want to set an example by being the first to do so."

Following Chairman Yoo's announcement not to run the previous day, Lee's withdrawal seems to be resolving the discord surrounding unification within the conservative camp. At the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly main building that morning, Hwang said, "Recently, meaningful news has been conveyed within the forces of liberal democracy," referring to Yoo's announcement of his decision not to run, and added, "I warmly welcome it." He further stated, "We will do our best to reach a final conclusion on the proposed new merger through the Unified New Party Preparatory Committee."

Although the weekend meeting was ultimately canceled, Hwang expressed his intention to continue meeting with Chairman Yoo as soon as possible. After the Supreme Council meeting, he told reporters, "We are making efforts to arrange the meeting," and regarding Yoo's request for the succession of party staff employment, he said, "We will ensure sufficient discussion through the preparatory committee." If the meeting takes place, there is a high possibility that Hwang will encourage Yoo to run again. On the same day, Sung Dong-gyu, director of the Yeouido Institute, appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and said, "I expect Hwang and Yoo to meet within this week," adding, "Hwang will likely ask Yoo not to withdraw from this general election and to actively play a role in reclaiming Seoul and the metropolitan area."

With Hwang and Yoo paving the way for reform nominations, the nomination process for the unified new party is expected to accelerate. The leaders of the two conservative camps have gained legitimacy for reform nominations by choosing the difficult path rather than asserting their authority.

However, skepticism is already emerging about whether reform nominations will spread throughout the party. The primary criterion for reform nominations, as perceived inside and outside the party, seems to be other leading candidates running in the metropolitan area or difficult districts, but the candidates are refusing. Kim Hyung-o, chairman of the Liberty Korea Party's nomination management committee, visited former leader Hong Joon-pyo and former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Tae-ho the day before to request their candidacies in the metropolitan area but returned empty-handed. Both reiterated their intention to run in their hometowns through their Facebook pages on the same day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.