Yoo Young-ha Bringing Park's Letter to Apply for Nomination... The United Party's Dilemma

Satellite Party Future Korea Party Proportional Candidates Apply... Likely to Become a Variable in the General Election Depending on Nomination Decisions

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hye-min] As lawyer Yoo Young-ha, who read former President Park Geun-hye's prison letter aloud, expressed his intention to enter the National Assembly, the United Future Party is facing deep concerns.

Former President Park's message urging conservative unity under the major opposition party created a favorable environment for the United Future Party, which was on the verge of conservative division. However, nominating Yoo, a close aide of former President Park, could lead to another interpretation. There are concerns within the party that this could disrupt the United Future Party's general election strategy, which is focusing all efforts on capturing moderate and independent voters.

On the 5th, lawyer Yoo joined the Future Korea Party, the proportional representation satellite party of the United Future Party, and applied for nomination as a proportional representation candidate. This was just one day after former President Park released her prison message. When he announced the prison letter, he stated, "Regarding the course of action, I will follow the president's will. We will consult and decide." Because of this, his joining the Future Korea Party is also interpreted as being in line with former President Park's wishes.

Although the proportional representation nominations of the Future Korea Party are beyond the authority of the United Future Party, as a sister party, they inevitably influence each other. Favorability toward the Future Korea Party directly affects the United Future Party's constituency elections.

While the power of self-proclaimed pro-Park factions such as Cho Won-jin, Hong Moon-jong, and Kim Moon-soo weakened due to former President Park's prison letter, lawyer Yoo, who read the letter aloud, firmly established his image as a close aide. Yoo is known as the only person who visits former President Park, classifying him as her closest aide. He also leads the defense in court, arguing for her innocence. If he receives a proportional representation nomination from the Future Korea Party, it will again evoke factional and impeachment-related images.

This contradicts the United Future Party's direction, which seeks to exclude all those influenced by the previous nomination turmoil, cut off lawmakers perceived as strongly factional, and expand toward the center. A United Future Party official said, "There is regret that through the prison letter, he could have shown a step back from real politics, asking to be forgotten. How to interpret and act on this is a task for those remaining in politics."

Former Emergency Committee Chairman of the Liberty Korea Party, Kim Byung-joon, also said on a radio program on the 6th, "He must have made his own political judgment, but if someone is doing politics under President Park Geun-hye's name, I hope he would run in a difficult district rather than apply for a proportional representation seat." Regarding the possibility of moderate voters leaving due to the prison letter, he emphasized, "There are concerns about that within the party. However, the letter contains a message not to drag a person in prison into politics."