{"id":2199962,"date":"2023-01-27T09:17:57","date_gmt":"2023-01-27T09:17:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/koreapro\/?p=2199962"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:09:52","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:09:52","slug":"south-korean-president-plays-dangerous-game-by-wading-into-party-leadership-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/01\/south-korean-president-plays-dangerous-game-by-wading-into-party-leadership-race\/","title":{"rendered":"South Korean president plays dangerous game by wading into party leadership race"},"content":{"rendered":"
Former four-time lawmaker Na Kyung-won has announced her decision not to run for the People Power Party\u2019s (PPP) leadership position, turning what was once a dynamic race that could have resulted in various outcomes and controversy into what seems like a straightforward two-man contest.<\/span><\/p>\n Kim Gi-hyeon is currently the heavy favorite to lead South Korea\u2019s ruling party. Kim is a long-time conservative politician who <\/span>began his career<\/span><\/a> in 2003 as a spokesperson for the Grand National Party \u2014 one of the PPP\u2019s previous incarnations. He also served as mayor of Ulsan from 2014 to 2018 and as the PPP\u2019s interim leader from April to June 2021. In 2022, Yoon chose Kim to serve as his <\/span>special envoy to the EU<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Na had high levels of support <\/span>among PPP voters<\/span><\/a>, but a rift between her and President Yoon over how best to tackle South Korea\u2019s low birth rates led to her dismissal from all official positions. The administration\u2019s contempt for Na and preference for Kim, a Yoon loyalist, shows that the president feels confident enough to dictate terms to the rest of the party.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Regardless of who wins, what appears certain is that the presidential office is now more actively engaged in party politics \u2014 something Yoon publicly <\/span>said<\/span><\/a> was inappropriate for the president to do just a few months ago. His about-face could have long-term repercussions, as he faces parliamentary elections next year.<\/span><\/p>\n TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN<\/b><\/p>\n The PPP is electing a new leader in March because its last one, <\/span>Lee Jun-seok<\/span><\/a>, allegedly accepted sexual services as bribes. Under the <\/span>stewardship<\/span><\/a> of interim leader Chung Jin-suk, Na was <\/span>one of the favorite candidates<\/span><\/a> to take over the reins.<\/span><\/p>\n As a former lawmaker, Na has the legislative experience needed to steer the party\u2019s legislative agenda, and she was also one of the favorites to win in the <\/span>previous leadership race<\/span><\/a> before losing to Lee.<\/span><\/p>\n Lee Jun-seok gained notoriety by courting support from <\/span>young men<\/span><\/a> in their 20s and 30s with anti-feminist rhetoric. Lee\u2019s popularity with that demographic group was an asset to Yoon on the campaign trail, and their partnership might have given Yoon <\/span>the edge<\/span><\/a> he needed to win.<\/span><\/p>\n Had Na chosen to stay in the race and become the new PPP chair, it would have been an opportunity for the conservatives to undo the reputational damage it suffered with South Korean women under Lee\u2019s brief but tumultuous time as party leader.<\/span><\/p>\n Na was the chief of a presidential committee on demographics, but a major rift developed between Na and the Yoon administration after she publicly <\/span>suggested<\/span><\/a> that the ROK adopt the Hungarian government\u2019s solution to its aging population problem.<\/span><\/p>\n Since 2019, Hungary has offered married couples an interest-free loan worth up to <\/span>$32,320<\/span><\/a>. Families with up to two children are given generous repayment periods that last up to three years, while families that have three children don\u2019t pay it back at all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Na said earlier this month that a similarly large, lump-sum cash incentive for South Korean families would be <\/span>a better way<\/span><\/a> to alleviate housing and childcare costs than the ROK\u2019s <\/span>current approach<\/span><\/a> of doling out smaller sums of money in multiple phases.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However, Na apparently came out in support of this policy without first consulting the presidential office. In response, Yoon\u2019s office went so far as to state that Na should not be pursuing a brand of <\/span>personal politics<\/span><\/a> at the expense of the government\u2019s attempts to address national demographic issues.<\/span><\/p>\n Sensing that she had fallen out of favor, Na offered to <\/span>resign<\/span><\/a> from two of her positions: the aforementioned presidential committee and her role as a climate ambassador. But Yoon <\/span>fired<\/span><\/a> her instead, thus making it clear to his party that Na did not have the support of the South Korean president for the PPP\u2019s chair.<\/span><\/p>\n Afterward, main opposition Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker <\/span>Park Beom-gye<\/span><\/a> appeared to suggest that Yoon violated election laws by sacking Na, although he did not offer specific details.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Others such as former National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Park Jie-won sardonically said the PPP ought to return to the days of military dictatorship when strongmen Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan handpicked party leaders.<\/span><\/p>\n