Over the past year, the main opposition Democratic United Party has had golden opportunities to defeat the ruling camp and step closer to its aspired victory in the year-end presidential election.

However, the party seemed prone to blow its chances through unfortunate mishaps and displays of factional strife at critical points, thus offering a chance to its opponents instead, observers said.

Ahead of this year’s April general elections, for instance, the DUP suffered internal strife over the nomination, especially for the southwestern Honam region which has long been the liberal camp’s stronghold. The party’s nomination panel even boycotted the candidate-screening process in protest to the leadership’s interference.

The discord largely diminished the DUP’s competitiveness in the actual election, which was initially seen as the DUP’s chance to turn the tide upon the public’s growing frustration with the incumbent ruling camp. The parliamentary race, however, ended in the ruling Saenuri Party’s victory.

The left-wing party’s most recent feud occurred last weekend between the presidential frontrunner Rep. Moon Jae-in and the remaining underdog candidates.

The DUP started last week its primary process to elect a presidential candidate, and former presidential chief-of-staff Rep. Moon took the lead in the first two regional races.

His rivals, however, claimed that the mobile voting system was unfairly skewed in Moon’s favor and gestured to boycott the primary, if necessary.

Though the candidates ― Kim Doo-kwan, Sohn Hak-kyu and Rep. Chung Sye-kyun ― later accepted the party’s judgment and resumed the race, the conflict threw a wet blanket over the liberal party’s primary.

It was the DUP’s plan to hold a heated race and attract the public’s interest, showing a clear contrast with the recent Saenuri primary in which Rep. Park won a predicted victory.

The underdogs’ backlash against Moon was largely led by Sohn Hak-kyu, former Gyeonggi governor and Democratic Party chief.

Sohn, who reluctantly agreed to return to the race, continued to blame the party’s leadership for allegedly colluding with Moon and rigging the competition.

Party chief Rep. Lee Hae-chan, along with some of the party’s election committee members, strategically supported Moon’s campaigns, Sohn claimed late on Monday.

“There are questions on whether the party’s leadership is supporting a certain candidate’s campaign,” Sohn’s camp said in a statement, referring to an email sent by Moon’s camp to the leadership asking for its help in urging people to vote in the primary.

This ongoing dispute represents a long-term conflict between two rivaling factions which have yet failed to unite since the party merger earlier this year, according to observers.

The former DP, after losing the left-wing’s candidacy to independent Park Won-soon in last year’s Seoul mayoral race, underwent a major overhaul of its party members and leadership, many of which were those affiliated with former President Roh Moo-hyun.

The unity, though it broadened the liberal party’s clout, also caused factional disputes between the former DP group and the pro-Roh figures.

Moon, former chief secretary to Roh, is considered a key mainstreamer.

“The former DP was blinded by its faith in achieving solidarity of the progressives,” said Shin Yul, professor of political science at Myongji University.

“Political dilemmas cannot be solved through seeking unity alone, but through meticulous strategies and genuine bond among the members.”

Should the DUP repeat its domestic feuding, it may only benefit the Saenuri Party’s presidential candidate Park Geun-hye, or it may once again lose its progressive candidacy to non-party figure Professor Ahn Cheol-soo, experts said.

By Bae Hyun-jung ()


koreaherald@heraldcorp.com