Published : Feb. 15, 2017 - 11:49
A conservative former journalist from a major daily joined South Korea's ruling Liberty Korea Party on Wednesday, seeking to run in the party's primary and the upcoming presidential election.
"Considering the things done by leftists' regime of Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, and looking at the arrogance (of the main opposition) which acts as if it has already won the race, we cannot accept another leftists' regime," said Kim Jin, who formerly worked as an editorial writer at the JoongAng Ilbo.
Kim Jin, who formerly worked as an editorial writer at the JoongAng Ilbo, delivers a speech after joining the Liberty Korea Party at the party's Seoul-based headquarter on Feb. 15, 2017. (Yonhap)
Kim said Moon Jae-in and An Hee-jung, both presidential hopefuls from the Democratic Party, are an extension of the two former liberal administrations.
"The conservative bloc is not finished. The Liberty Korea Party has done things wrong, but not to the extent to be dumped by the people," Kim said.
Since the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye over a corruption scandal in December, the ruling party has been struggling to find popular contenders for the upcoming presidential race, which will come earlier than expected if the Constitutional Court confirms her ouster.
So far, former six-term lawmaker Rhee In-je, Rep. Won Yoo-chul, and Rep. Ahn Sang-soo have officially expressed the intent to run for the party's candidacy. Other potential presidential candidates from the party include South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Hong Joon-pyo and former Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Moon-soo. (Yonhap)