GNP's Lee Hoi-chang Satisfied with Election Results

Grand National Party (GNP) president Lee Hoi-chang has managed to save face in the general elections. Although his party suffered a defeat in the hotly-contested and politically crucial metropolitan area, Lee is satisfied because the GNP retained its position as the largest political bloc in the National Assembly.
"Voters made a wise choice in the most corrupt elections ever, which were tainted with government intervention on behalf of the ruling party, as well as rampant vote-buying activities," the GNP president said. He added that he will humbly pursue political collaboration in the future.
Lee Won-chang, a spokesman at the GNP election camp, claimed that his party is the "true victor of the congressional elections as it retained its status as the number one party in the National Assembly, despite the government's meddling in election campaigns and its vote-buying activities, not to mention its trumpeting the news of inter-Korean summit talks just three days before the elections." He also said that while it is true that the GNP trailed the ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) in the metropolitan area, "the GNP put up a good fight, having to struggle in the worst conditions imaginable." He refused to concede the MDP's claim of being the "genuine victor" of the elections, based on its strong showing in the politically crucial Seoul metropolitan area.
Lee Hoi-chang plans to prepare for future presidential elections by re-organizing the GNP's party structure in the near future. First of all, he will hold a national convention in mid-May and seek endorsement for his re-appointment as GNP head. Although some party members are moving to hold him responsible for the GNP's defeat in Seoul and Kyonggi Province, he is expected to easily undermine these denunciations.
Sources close to Lee believe that he will be re-appointed, no matter who challenges him for the GNP's presidency. GNP vice-president Kim Deog-ryong, and Representatives Kang Jae-sup and Kang Sam-jae, who all won parliamentary seats in the elections, are expected to stand up against Lee Hoi-chang.
The prevailing opinion is that it would be difficult for inter-party 'rebels' to gain a strong foothold in the upcoming party elections. Many among the anti-Lee faction have already broken ranks with the GNP over the process of candidate nomination, but the dominant party sentiment is that the election results were satisfactory. Accordingly, observers believe heavy-weights in the anti-Lee faction might abandon their challenges against Lee halfway, frustrated by the unlikely possibility of their winning the party elections.
Some believe Lee Hoi-chang's party leadership was strengthened during the general elections since the vast majority of candidates who won seats in the congressional elections were aligned with Lee. Herein lies the reason for Lee's statement: "Although the GNP suffered from internal strife over the candidate nomination process, we have succeeded in our attempts to begin a new era in Korean politics."
Should Lee Hoi-chang be re-appointed as GNP president, it is assumed that his plans to run in future presidential elections will be solidified.

by Lee Sang-il