Uri Leader’s Action Aims to Reverse Sliding Popularity


By Park Song-wu
Staff Reporter
Uri Party chairman Chung Dong-young on Monday stepped down as party’s chief campaign manager and gave up his candidacy for the proportional representation system.

`` I will give up everything I have to ensure a judgement on those who carried out the impeachment against President Roh Moo-hyun,’’ Chung said in an evening news conference. ``Corrupt forces and the ghost of regional antagonism are showing signs of reemerging. The historic meaning of the general elections is being diluted.’’

He commenced a hunger strike to thwart the revival of regionalism in the upcoming elections.

Chung’s move comes as Uri Party’s five lawmaker hopefuls in Taegu and North Kyongsang Province, dubbed TK, demanded Chung step down from office to woo back senior citizens Chung angered by his disparaging remarks he earlier made against senior citizens.

``Chung should take a decisive step now,’’ Kwon, former Labor Minister, said. ``We’ve asked for his resolute decision through various channels, but he hasn’t taken any measures to bear responsibility till now. He brought this party to the brink of ruin.’’

The strong demand came with pollsters predicting GNP will likely sweep all 27 regionally contested seats in the TK area.

Uri has seen its popularity drop fast, allowing its Grand National Party (GNP) to catch up. Chung said on Sunday that he lowered the party’s outlook for Thursday’s general elections to 110 seats, expecting an even match with the majority opposition.

On April 3, they reportedly sent an official request to the party headquarters in Seoul demanding Chung’s resignation. After being neglected, they planned a news conference for last Wednesday but canceled it without giving a clear reason.

The pro-government party had enjoyed strong support in the region, a traditional stronghold of the GNP, after the opposition-led impeachment against President Roh Moo-hyun on March 12.

But Park Geun-hye’s rise to the top post of the GNP and Chung’s critical gaffe that those in their 60s and 70s don’t need to vote anymore have significantly eroded approval ratings of the Uri Party in the conservative region.

The five candidates had apparently thought that Uri’s main goal of becoming a political force with lawmakers from every city and province would be hard to achieve if the party continued to go with Chung, who senior citizens think is a stigma to the pro-Roh loyalists.

``It’s not important for the Uri Party to further secure a number of seats in other regions,’’ Yoon, former vice minister, said. ``We have to build a national party which doesn’t resort to regional antagonism.’’

Two high-profile candidates of the Uri Party were staging a hunger strike for the second day in a downtown Taegu street, asking people not to give blanket support to the GNP.

im@koreatimes.co.kr