Park Ji-won: Lee Myung-bak, Park Geun-hye campaigning will backfire on conservatives

By Joo So-hyun, The Herald Business

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Park Ji-won said Sunday that the public will deliver a harsh verdict on former presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye for their unrepentant behavior on the campaign trail — and that their involvement will ultimately hurt conservative candidates.

Speaking on SBS Radio that day, Park said the two former presidents — both of whom received pardons — should be contributing to democracy and showing remorse rather than acting with impunity. "The fact that Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak, people who should still be in prison, have all been pardoned and released means they have a duty to reflect and give back to democracy," he said. "Acting with such arrogance is an insult to our people and to history."

The two former presidents hit the campaign trail on Saturday — the final weekend before the June 3 local elections — with Lee appearing in Busan and Park in Daegu. Lee's foray outside the Greater Seoul area was unusual. He had previously met Seoul mayoral candidate Oh Se-hoon, Gyeonggi gubernatorial candidate Yang Hyang-ja and Seoul school superintendent candidate Cho Jeon-hyeok in the capital region last month.

Park Geun-hye visited Seomun Market in Daegu's Jung-gu on Saturday, roughly a week after she toured Chilseong Market in Buk-gu alongside Daegu mayoral candidate Choo Kyung-ho on May 23. Last month she also made a series of appearances in conservative strongholds, including Daejeon, Okcheon in North Chungcheong Province, Gongju in South Chungcheong Province, Busan, Ulsan, Jinju, Yangsan and Namhae in South Gyeongsang Province, and Wonju and Hoengseong in Gangwon Province.

Park Ji-won predicted that the Daegu mayoral race would break in the Democratic Party's favor. "There will be a strict judgment on Park Geun-hye's arrogant behavior that undermines democracy, and on Choo Kyung-ho and the insurrection forces," he said. "Because the camp is now rallying around factional lines, I predict that Democratic Party Daegu mayoral candidate Kim Boo-kyum will win, even if only by a narrow margin."

Park also defended Kim Yong-nam, the Democratic Party candidate in the National Assembly by-election for Pyeongtaek-eul in Gyeonggi Province, who is locked in a legitimacy battle against Cho Kuk of the Rebuilding Korea Party. "Candidate Kim is the true independence fighter, and he is the true Democratic Party candidate," Park said.

Park said Kim had joined the Democratic Party and devoted himself to securing President Lee Jae Myung's victory. He also argued that Kim's statements before Aug. 14 — Korean Liberation Day — should be forgiven because Kim had called for independence on that day. "It was not Aug. 16," he said.

On Cho Kuk, Park was measured. "Of course, candidate Cho was also a fighter for independence. But the Democratic Party fielded its own candidate, and it is a matter for the people of Pyeongtaek to decide," he added. "Since the outcome is entirely for Pyeongtaek residents to determine, there is no need for extreme criticism."