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Conflict is deepening between president-elect Lee Myung-bak's followers and those loyal to his primary rival Park Geun-hye over whether to nominate Park-faction leader Kim Moo-sung as a candidate for a parliamentary seat in the April general election. Kim on Wednesday threatened to quit the party. Commenting on a decision on Tuesday by the party's screening committee chaired by Ahn Kang-min, a former senior public prosecutor, not to nominate ex-convicts involved in corruption scandals as candidates for the general election, Kim said, "The decision is political retaliation. It's like using a person when his service is needed and keeping him at a distance when he is no longer wanted." Kim said he had never switched his party affiliations before. ¡°But this time, I'll have no choice but to abandon my party membership now that the party is keeping me at a distance."
GNP regulations on the nominations of candidates for public office stipulate, "The party shall disqualify those convicted of corruption and irregularities including bribery and delivery or taking of illegal political funds from winning nominations for public office."
In 1996, Kim was sentenced to a fine of W10 million (US$1=W944) plus a surcharge of W20 million for taking W20 million in bribes from a terrestrial trunked radio system provider in return for favors.
Some 35 pro-Park lawmakers in an urgent meeting the same day decided Kim Moo-sung won public confidence in two general elections conducted after he was convicted. They said it was possible that the party regulations in question are unconstitutional, given that they condone the retroactive application of laws and ignore party members' right to be elected to public office. They warned they will ¡°share (their) political fate" with Kim.
Park herself did not attend this meeting. But she told reporters the screening committee's criteria for nominations of candidates ¡°are vague. The criteria should not be arbitrarily applied." GNP Chairman Kang Jae-sup also said that the committee's decision was a breach of faith and boycotted a meeting of senior party members on the day.
But GNP Secretary-General Lee Bang-ho, a Lee loyalist, said, "The screening committee reached the decision by majority to nominate candidates according to the party regulations. The committee is not above party regulations." The committee, meanwhile, decided to convene an urgent meeting on Thursday afternoon, but whether the two GNP factions can find a breakthrough remains to be seen.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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