Rep. Lee Un-ju of the Democratic Party of Korea on Thursday quit the liberal party and joined the People’s Party to support the presidential bid of centrist Ahn Cheol-soo.

The two-term lawmaker’s defection rattled the liberal bloc’s leadership, as it came on the heels of Ahn’s surge in polls, posing a threat to its presidential candidate, front-runner Moon Jae-in.

The gap between the two contenders in polls has narrowed from about 25 percentage points to 3-8 percentage points in a month.

Political watchers have begun raising speculation that more Democratic Party lawmakers, especially those who supported Moon’s in-party rivals as their standard-bearer, might follow suit.

Rep. Lee’s interview with a CBS radio program Thursday supports the possibility.

“As far as I’m concerned, there are quite a few figures who are agonizing over defection due to matters like hegemony in the party,” she told the broadcaster.

However, the lawmaker predicted that it would not be easy for them to really break away from the Democratic Party, citing the high approval rating of the main opposition party compared to the People’s Party. She said her reason for leaving was due to her hope for the formation of a new political force.

Unlike the tightening race between Moon and Ahn, support for the Democratic Party and the People’s Party has not changed much, with the former posting 37.8 percent and the latter posting 21.3 percent, according to a Realmeter poll released Wednesday.

The Democratic Party of Korea overwhelms the People’s Party in parliamentary representation, controlling 120 seats against the People’s Party’s 39.

Reps. Lee Jong-kul and Noh Woong-rae have been mentioned as possible defectors. In addition, Rep. Park Young-sun has been picked as a figure who may withdraw her support for Moon.

Prior to Lee’s departure, two lawmakers -- Kim Chong-in and Choi Myung-gil -- quit the Democratic Party. Rep. Kim declared his own presidential run as an independent Wednesday.

An issue in the coming weeks or days is whether supporters of An Hee-jung and Lee Jae-myung, who was defeated by Moon in the Democratic Party’s primaries, will leave the party.

Meanwhile, some have downplayed the possibility, forecasting that more lawmakers supporting An or Lee will try to bolster internal hegemony for the election to select the 20th president after taking a wait-and-see stance during the 19th race.

By Kim Yon-se ()


kys@heraldcorp.com