Saenuri Party chairwoman Park Geun-hye said the party has not discriminated against pro-Lee Myung-bak figures in its candidate nomination.
The presidential hopeful on Wednesday attended a forum hosted by Kwanhun Club, an association of leading journalists in Korea, to answer questions on the party’s ongoing nomination screening and strategies for the upcoming April elections.
She also clarified her stance on her relations with President Lee Myung-bak and offered her opinion on her potential presidential rivals professor Ahn Cheol-soo and the main opposition Democratic United Party’s Moon Jae-in.
“The party’s screening committee has so far led a strict and fair evaluation on all aspirants,” Park said. “None of the decisions were made based on specific factions.”
She also guaranteed the committee’s neutrality, rejecting the accusation that its decisions were politically biased.
Her statements came in response to a backlash from those denied candidacy, who claim that the panel deliberately excluded pro-Lee figures in an attempt to change the party’s power structure.
“It is regrettable that some incumbent members had to be ruled out, but rules must be abided by,” Park said.
The party had earlier announced its exclusion of the 25 percent of current lawmakers who receive the lowest evaluations in their districts.
Park also pledged to lead an impartial investigation into an irregularities scandal involving close presidential aides, though she refrained from directly pointing fingers at the president.
“The present government may have failed to communicate actively with the people, but a true evaluation is to be made later,” she said.
“I believe that the president will carry out his responsibilities up to the end without a hitch and will not make any decision such as defecting from the party.”
The Daegu lawmaker also apologized to the voters of Busan and South Gyeongsang Province for the savings banks corruption scandal.
By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldm.com)
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
