The ruling Saenuri Party’s floor leader Chung Jin-suk on Thursday called for a meeting of senior members to address the deepening factional strife that has blocked the selection of an interim leadership and boosted speculation on a possible party split.

But while making the conciliatory gesture, Chung also continued to reproach those close to President Park Geun-hye, as well as the president herself, for egging on the factional dispute.
“I will summon a meeting of senior party members tomorrow and give them an open hearing,” Chung told reporters Thursday morning in his constituency of Gongju, South Chungcheong Province.

When asked whether he would succumb to pressure and readjust the composition of the emergency leadership council to include more pro-Park members, he withheld his answer.

The Saenuri whip then returned to Yeouido and met with opposition counterparts, Reps. Woo Sang-ho of The Minjoo Party of Korea and Park Jie-won of the People’s Party, to negotiate concerning key agenda items including the allotment of parliamentary committee chairmanships in the upcoming legislature.

Chung, who is now effectively representing the party in the absence of official leadership, thereby ended his brief daylong escape from party affairs. After attending a May 18 Gwangju Uprising memorial ceremony on Wednesday, he returned to his constituency, refusing to tend to party affairs.

His quick return to the post also came amid escalating speculation that the party may end up splitting. It gained further momentum as Speaker Chung Ui-hwa, whose term ends with the outgoing 19th National Assembly, hinted at creating a new political party.

“It could be a political consulting organization or a party,” the speaker told reporters Thursday, elaborating a little on the political entity he had earlier said he would establish.

“I will ponder on my path in the next few months and make a decision by October or so.”

The veteran five-term lawmaker had earlier said that he would not return to his party after his term as speaker, disapproving of the factional feud in his home camp.

“Should the junior politicians do a good job in leading the country, I will remain as adviser, but if not, I may have to make a decision (to start a new party),” he said.

On Tuesday, Saenuri failed to hold two key meetings due to a lack of quorum, and failed to establish an emergency panel and innovation committee to steer the party until an official leadership is formed as early as next month.

It was mostly those close to the president who denounced Chung’s temporary leadership as unilaterally excluding the pro-Park faction and blamed him for a lack of communication. Some even demanded Chung resign from his post.

“This is not about (a specific faction’s) winning or losing,” Chung said Thursday, before resuming his duties.

“Our politics should be based on beliefs and give trust to people, instead of clinging to the factional frame, and the president is no exception (from this).”

Since its crushing defeat in the April 13 general election, the conservative camp has been struggling to elect a new leadership that can regain support of the public. Through the race, the party not only lost its former parliamentary majority, but also gave away several of its symbolic stronghold constituencies -- results largely attributed to the infighting of the pro-Park and non-Park groups.

“I neither belong to any faction, nor have significant power within the political circles,” Chung said.

“But I received a substantial number of votes, which I take as a sign that the party wanted someone who could maintain neutrality and work in balance, which is exactly what I am striving to do.”

One of the reasons the legitimately elected floor leader finds himself powerless against the pro-Park protest, according to observers, is the absence of a pivotal figure who can unite the non-Park members.

Previously, the role was played by former party chief Rep. Kim Moo-sung, who stepped down from his post after the party’s election defeat and has remained out of the spotlight ever since. Kim, when approached by reporters on his way to attend the general meeting Thursday, was mum on the party’s ongoing strife.

Other senior non-Park members either defected prior to the election after being excluded from nominations or lost in the election. The list includes Rep. Yoo Seong-min, who ran as an independent candidate, and Rep. Chin Young who joined the Minjoo Party.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)