[Politics, That Day...] Saenuri Party Leadership Election Attempting to Break Away from Park Geun-hye's Party

President Park's First Inaugural Ruling Party Leadership Election: 'Non-Park' Kim Moo-sung Elected
"I Will Speak My Mind to the Blue House"... Major Shift in Party-Blue House Relations

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min]

Editor's Note‘Politics, That Day...’ is a series that looks back on Korean politics through the ‘recollection of memories’ related to notable scenes, events, and figures.

On July 14, 2014, at the Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium in Seoul, Kim Moo-sung, the leader of the non-Park faction (non-Park Geun-hye faction), was elected as the new party leader to lead the Saenuri Party for the next two years. The political plan envisioned by the Park Geun-hye administration’s Blue House was disrupted. The launch of Kim Moo-sung’s leadership marked an event signaling the ruling party’s intention to break away from being the ‘Park Geun-hye Party.’

President Park Geun-hye, who took office in February 2013, had established a stable pro-Park (pro-Park Geun-hye faction) regime under the leadership of Hwang Woo-yeo. However, Hwang Woo-yeo was appointed before the presidential election. The July 2014 party convention was the first ruling party leader election event that President Park Geun-hye faced.

The ruling party leadership election held one year and five months after the president’s inauguration led to expectations that a candidate advocating the so-called ‘Park heart’ (朴心) would have an advantage, considering President Park’s popular support base. Early in the presidential term, a ruling party leader who closely reflected the Blue House’s intentions was necessary, so a pro-Park candidate was naturally favored.

Kim Moo-sung, Saenuri Party leader (center)

In fact, the pro-Park faction leader Seo Cheong-won’s candidacy stirred turbulence in the ruling party leadership race. Seo’s direct entry signaled his determination to win at all costs. The birth of a ruling party leader who demonstrated perfect harmony with the Blue House was closely linked to President Park Geun-hye’s political plans.

This implied that Seo Cheong-won’s defeat would translate into a political risk for the Blue House. The July 2014 Saenuri Party convention was a confrontation where no retreat was possible, and a do-or-die attitude was inevitable.

The problem was that Kim Moo-sung was no easy figure. Politician Kim Moo-sung was considered the leader of the largest faction among politicians inheriting the lineage of Korean conservative parties. The power of the Kim Moo-sung faction was formidable.

Politician Kim Moo-sung was so close to President Park Geun-hye that he was called an original pro-Park. His help was significant in Park Geun-hye’s victory in the 2012 presidential election. However, cracks in their relationship appeared even before the election.

Although they united to win the presidential election for the Saenuri Party government’s launch, the relationship between Park Geun-hye and Kim Moo-sung, which had grown distant during the Lee Myung-bak administration, was not easily mended. Before long, politician Kim Moo-sung became known as the leader of the non-Park faction.

Politician Kim Moo-sung is inherently unsuited to playing a secondary role. He is a boss-type politician. If one wants a compliant ruling party leader, politician Kim Moo-sung is not the right person.

On the other hand, candidate Seo Cheong-won sought to become the ruling party leader responsible for President Park Geun-hye’s side, backed by full support from the pro-Park faction. However, both public sentiment and party sentiment regarding the Saenuri Party leadership race were unusual. Politician Kim Moo-sung’s wall was strong and solid.

At that time, the ruling Saenuri Party also longed for change. Rather than acting as a mere second Blue House, it hoped to play a substantive role as a ruling party that voiced political opinions independently. Non-Park faction leader Kim Moo-sung was a figure fitting such aspirations.

Politician Kim Moo-sung proudly took first place in the Park Geun-hye administration’s first ruling party leadership election. He was elected with 29.6% of the vote, comfortably beating Seo Cheong-won, who received 21.5%, by a margin of 8.1 percentage points.

Third place went to candidate Kim Tae-ho with 14.2%, and fourth place to candidate Lee In-je with 11.7%. Candidate Kim Eul-dong received 8.2%, but secured a leadership position based on election rules requiring at least one female supreme council member. The Saenuri Party leadership election results were a variable shaking the political landscape. With the ruling party leadership falling into the hands of the non-mainstream faction, changes in the party-Blue House relationship became inevitable.

"I will speak my mind to the Blue House."

Kim Moo-sung’s message implied much.

While the Blue House hoped for a ruling party leader aligned with its views, party members and public sentiment wanted a ruling party leader who voiced their own opinions. The ruling party leadership restructuring in the second year of President Park Geun-hye’s term was a sign that a massive wave of change was rising in the sea of public sentiment.