Unity Declared by Park After Lee Wins GNP Candidacy

Pak Geun-hye was smiling when Lee Myung-bak was announced as the GNP’s presidential candidate by a margin of 1.5%, or 2,452 votes, yesterday at the GNP convention held at the gymnastics stadium in Seoul Olympic Park. When Lee extended his hand smiling, she held his and smiled back.

At the concession speech, Park made congratulatory remarks to Lee while showing no sign of agitation. She said, “I concede that I lost. I willingly accept my defeat. From this moment on, I will go back to my position and do everything within my power to help the GNP win the presidency.”

During the speech, party chief Kang Jae-seop wiped tears with his handkerchief. Park’s supporters who had been shouting, “The election is invalid,” stopped immediately after Park’s speech. Her speech made the convention a true GNP convention.

Park the stateswoman–

It would not have been easy for Park to accept her loss in the primary because she beat Lee by 432 votes in the electoral college, but lost by 2,884 votes at the polls. But she said in her concession speech, “Lets’ forget about everything that took place before the primary. If it takes more than a day, let’s do so for days, and come back to our positions filled with passion. With that passion, let’s join forces to establish a new administration.” Her speech effectively was a statement backing Lee.

Following Park, lawmaker Won Hui-ryong said in a speech to Park, “I felt overwhelmed with emotion when I was listening to your speech, because it is very difficult to take a loss as beautifully as you did. I pay my tribute and extend words of comfort to you.”

A party member said, “Park, who recorded only 50% approval ratings of Lee early this year, was able to win a close victory just because she was such a great rival to Lee. She demonstrated her competence to be the next female president.”

Park’s future–

Lee said in his acceptance speech, “I ask Park to play a pivotal role in taking control of Cheong Wa Dae. Let’s join hands in delivering your promise of making Korea an advanced country within five years.”

Lee is planning to meet Park today in private to give her consoling remarks and ask her to help him. GNP chief Kang also said at a press conference on August 19, “We will recruit more people from the Park’s camp to create a GNP presidential election committee,” showing his commitment to unite the party by encouraging those in Park’s camp to work harder to make Lee president.

As both Park and Lee seem to be determined to work towards changing the incumbent government, it is unlikely that the GNP will be divided at the presidential election campaign.

Since the current public election law states that presidential hopefuls who lose in a primary are banned from running for president, Park cannot join the presidential race even if she defects from the party. As a person who places importance on principles and promises, it is also unlikely that she will rally her supporters outside the party. It is highly possible she will assume a very important role in the GNP presidential election committee to be formed in late September.

True integration?–

The biggest unknown in this year’s presidential election is whether Park’s supporters, who amount to as many as half of GNP party members, will transfer their backing to Lee.

The two opposing camps, for the last seven months, widened a gaping emotional hole while going through the party’s verification process. If Park does not do anything to appease and persuade her supporters, Lee may not score a victory. This is why many think that these two camps may be truly united.

Until now, optimistic views have gained more momentum. Lee and Park’s closest aides, Jeong Doo-eon and Yoo Seung-min, are scheduled to meet today to discuss how to cooperate in the future.

Jeong said in a phone interview, “The protagonist of the convention was Park, not Lee. We will openly talk about everything with Park from now on.”

GNP spokesperson Na Gyeong-won said, “The two opposing camps that had been waging a fearsome emotional battle demonstrated the possibility that they can become united again all thanks to the moving speech Park gave.”

sunshade@donga.com