The April 13 general election has thrown the ruling Saenuri Party into a panic. The election defeat was so unexpected and devastating that the party appears to have lost its sense of direction.

The first thing the party should do now is thoroughly analyze the factors that contributed to its humiliating rout. Then it needs to start reinventing itself based on the analysis to regain the public’s confidence in it.

Yet the party is neither willing nor able to embark on such a project now. Its leaders have all resigned, taking responsibility for the election results. To avoid a leadership vacuum, they appointed Rep. Won Yoo-chul, the party’s floor leader, as head of the emergency leadership group.

As interim leader, Won’s task is to lead the party until a new leadership is elected at a party convention slated for June. Drafting and implementing a reform program is beyond the scope of his job.

The grave task will have to wait until a new leadership is launched. It is still too early to tell who will be elected new chairman, but the next leader is highly likely to come from the party’s mainstream faction loyal to President Park Geun-hye, given the faction controls more than 60 percent of the party’s newly elected lawmakers.

This bodes ill for the party in light of the pro-Park group’s unrepentant attitude. The faction is responsible for the unrecoverable damage the party suffered, as its outrageous attempts to grant the party’s nominations to candidates close to Park caused many voters to turn their backs on the party.

The faction, however, remains silent about the election results. No one has come forward to explain to its supporters why the party has put up such a poor showing in the election and what it would do to recover its lost ground.
The faction is apparently not interested in reshaping the party. Rather, its main concern appears to be retaining its control of the party. A couple of politicians affiliated with the faction have already expressed their intention to run for party leadership.

If the faction manages to maintain its grip on power in the coming leadership competition, there is little chance of the party pushing for fundamental reform. And without thorough reform, the prospect of the party’s presidential candidate winning the election in December 2017 would be slim.