Possible Candidate for the Pan Ruling Party?

Before his recent defection from the opposition Grand National Party, Sohn Hak-gyu, former Governor of Gyeonggi Province and presidential hopeful, had a political career spanning fourteen years. Though there is widespread speculation that he could become a presidential candidate for ruling party-related forces, some doubt the possibility because of his past membership of the Grand National Party – the largest opposition party with different party lines from those of the ruling party.

“If the ruling party wants to recruit former governor Sohn as the presidential candidate, we should acknowledge that he is from the opposition GNP and has different political views and campaign promises from those of the ruling party. We need to discuss how to bridge the differences,” said another presidential hopeful of the ruling party, Kim Geun-tae. Mr. Kim and Mr. Sohn graduated from Kyunggi High School, a leading high school that has produced many prominent figures.

Ruling Uri Party Chairman, Chung Sye-kyun, together with Rep. Kim Han-gill and Rep. Yum Dong-yun, two leading lawmakers who left the ruling party to form a new party, are also unsatisfied with the fact that Mr. Sohn is regarded as a strong candidate of the Pan ruling party.

Former governor Sohn has, in the past, pursued many policies and other political lines which clash with the views of the ruling party.

Pro-business Sohn versus not-so-friendly ruling party candidates-

Former governor Sohn pursues more market friendly policies than other ruling party candidates. Mr. Sohn has consistently pledged that he will abolish any restrictions which prohibit investment, such as putting a ceiling on building plants in the metropolitan area and investment caps for large companies.

Rep. Kim Geun-tae and Rep. Chun Jung-bae, possible candidates of the ruling party or an anti-GNP coalition, argue that the restrictions should remain unchanged to maintain balanced national development and more transparency for conglomerates.

They also show distinct opinions over the FTA talks with the United Sates.

“The FTA is not a matter of choice. We should accept it as a survival strategy. After we complete the talks with the U.S., we should have more FTAs with Japan, China, ASEAN and the EU,” said Mr. Sohn.

However, former Chairman of the ruling Uri Party and another presidential hopeful, Chung Dong-young, has a different opinion. “We must not rush to any conclusions,” he said. Rep. Kim Geun-tae and Rep. Chun Jung-bae also oppose the talks, saying, “We must stop any further negotiations.”

‘Small Government` is one of the former governor’s `Five Workout Programs for Korea` proposed as one of his campaign promises. But it is in contrast with President Roh and the ruling party’s ‘small government cannot be the best’ attitude.

Favorable view of former President Park and different notion of the past-

Mr. Sohn engaged in the democratic movement of 1970s, but has expressed favorable opinions toward former President Park Jung-hee. When he paid respect to the former president’s grave on October 2005, he said, “I think highly of former President Park who made this nation out of poverty and laid the foundations for industrialization.”

His remarks differ from those of the ruling Uri Party who refer to former President Park as ‘a military dictator.”

His view of the past is also in opposition to that of the ruling party. He said, “We should not be preoccupied with the past and telling right from wrong, this has divided the nation. We ought to focus more on the future through reconciliation and harmony.”

A link with the ruling party: ‘the Sunshine Policy to engage North Korea’-

A number of Uri Party lawmakers predicted that Mr. Sohn could leave the GNP after he said in a press conference, on February 8th, that the Sunshine Policy should be continued and be developed even through regime changes.

‘The Sunshine Policy to engage North Korea’ is seen as a link between Mr. Sohn and a possible coalition to prevent the GNP from holding power. The former governor is also in favor of the government’s plan to build the Multifunctional Administrative City and to replace the National Security Law with the revised one, which have been the main cause of political controversy with the opposition party.

ditto@donga.com