After Spinning on Surface for Six Months

On August 10, the new party within the ruling party circle, United New Democratic Party, and the Uri Party announced their merger.

The representative of United New Democratic Party, Oh Chung-il, and Chairman of the Uri Party Jeong Se-gyun met one another at the National Assembly and agreed on the merger, which will be completed by August 20. The merger will be made in the form of the United New Democratic Party with 85 seats, absorbing the Uri Party with 58 seats.

Round and Around, and Back to the Origin-

The Uri Party plans to hold a party convention on August 18 at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, where it will resolve to unite with the United New Democratic Party and establish an integrated committee. The merger of the United New Democratic Party and the Uri Party will give birth to a primary party with 143 seats. The Grand National Party owns 128 seats.

After the merger with the Uri Party, however, there will be only four assemblymen in the United New Democratic Party who are from Democratic: Kim Hyo-seok, Lee Nak-yeon, Kim Hong-eop and Chae Il-Byeong, excluding the former Uri Party assemblymen.

Out of the former 139 former Uri Party assemblypersons, 138 of them, excluding Assemblyman Lim Jong-in, will all transfer to the United New Democratic Party.

Among the former Centrist United Democratic Party assemblymen, the “Kim Han-gil Group” withdrew from the Uri Party in February of this year and joined the United New Democratic Party after passing through the New Party for Centrist Reform and the Alliance and United Democratic Party. Assemblyman Shin Jung-shik withdrew from the Uri Party in September 2005 and transferred to the Democratic Party, and this joined the United New Democratic Party.

Uri Party presidential election runners such as former Prime Ministers Lee Hae-chan and Han Myeong-sook and former Governor of Gyeongnam Kim Hyeok-gyu will also take part in the United New Democratic Party. Among the election candidates of the United New Democratic Party, former Governor of Gyeonggi Sohn Hak-gyu is the sole individual who is not from the Uri Party.

Since the date scheduled for the merger is August 20, which falls after the date of government subsidy payment for the third quarter, the two parties can enjoy the effects of receiving 500 million won more of government subsidies.

On August 14, the date of government subsidy payment for the third quarter, the United New Democratic Party will receive approximately 1.5 billion won, and the Uri Party is to receive 1.9 billion won. The two parties, in sum, will receive more than 3.5 billion won of the subsidy.

But if the two parties would merge before August 14 and receive the third quarter government subsidy based on the number of seats and votes they won in the 17th General Election, the expected amount is between 2.9 and three billion won.

Negative Voices Heard Even Within the New Party-

Other parties unanimously criticized the announcement on the merger of the two parties, calling the merger is really only the “Return of the Uri Party.”

Spokesman of the Democratic Party Yoo Jong-pil said, “It is no different from completing ‘Uri Party Returns’ with 98 percent purity. It’s merely a great swindle.”

Spokesman of the Grand National Party Na Gyeong-won said, “The Uri Party only wasted tax money on the merger when it could have achieved the same just by changing its signboard.” Spokesman of the Democratic Labor Party Kim Hyeong-tak said, “They are driving people into confusion in order to exempt themselves from the responsibility of their failure in administrating the nation.”

Negative voices were heard even within the United New Democratic Party. Twenty-six assemblymen, most of whom are those who defected from the United New Democratic Party such as Assemblyman Kang Bong-gyun, announced a statement on the same day and criticized the merger, saying, “It is crystal clear that our painful efforts so far will only appear to be a swindle against the nation if we allow the joining [of the Uri Party], which knows no regret.”

Meanwhile, with the Democratic Party confirming it will reject joining the United New Democratic Party, it seems likely that the United New Democratic Party and the Democratic Party will carry out a competitive election for presidential candidacy independently and will promote the unification of a ruling party circle candidate afterwards.

The United New Democratic Party plans to hold a preliminary competitive election for presidential candidacy between September 3 and 5. At the central committee meeting, which took place on August 10 at the National Assembly hall, United New Democratic Party Assemblyman Lee Mok-hee stated, “We will hold a preliminary competitive election from September 3 to 5, the main competitive election from September 15 to October 14, and select a candidate on October 14.”

The Democratic Party plans to select a candidate between September and October and to promote the unification with the United New Democratic Party candidate in November.

However, a United New Democratic Party official stated, “the United New Democratic Party contains the Uri Party, the Democratic Party, supporters of former Gyeonggi Governor Sohn Hak-gyu, and civil groups. There is no consistency in the criticisms that call the merged party a ‘hotchpotch party’ at times and ‘the Return of the Uri Party’ other times.”

tesomiom@donga.com