Korea's ruling Saenuri Party is inching closer
to breaking up.
Some 35 members have vowed to leave the party
to create a new conservative political platform
of their own.
Ji Myung-kil reports.
At an emergency meeting on Wednesday, lawmakers
from the wing of the ruling Saenuri Party
who have distanced themselves from President
Park Geun-hye said roughly 35 members of the
group would leave the party next week to seek
a truly conservative political platform.
"We will go ahead and prepare to leave the
party on the 27th with our fellow lawmakers."
The faction also vowed to eradicate factional
politics by establishing a new conservative
power capable of winning the presidential
election next year.
"President Park Geun-hye's lack of communication
skills... and constitutional breach has led
to her impeachment.
It's a national tragedy."
"We've come to the conclusion that it was
impossible to lead reforms from within the
Saenuri Party."
The group would need more than twenty lawmakers
to form a separate negotiation body in parliament.
"Political observers predict, however, that
the non-pro-Park faction could get around
40,... which would be enough to surpass the
38 seats held by the People's Party,... making
it the third largest political body in parliament."
The party's pro-Park members have strongly
denounced their counterparts,... calling them
cowards.
They also said the non-pro Park group is just
seeking to follow its own political interests...
and made the decision without any justification.
"It is regrettable that Representative Yoo
Seong-min did not engage in any prior consultations
with me."
Yoo was the non-pro-Park wing's candidate
for the interim leader of the party's emergency
leadership committee.
The pro-Park group's rejection of Yoo on Tuesday...
reignited the conflict between the factions,
which has been simmering for the past year.
Ji Myung-kil, Arirang News.
