Opposition to elect a new leader tomorrow

The Grand National Party, which controls Korea’s National Assembly, will elect a new party leader tomorrow.
Six candidates are vying for the post, the de facto head of the political opposition to the Roh Moo-hyun administration, but party insiders are saying that only about 30 to 40 percent of the party members eligible to vote in tomorrow’s election will bother to do so.
The voter base is made up of about 228,000 persons. They were chosen by the party, and include 7,000 members of the party’s core apparatus, 114,000 persons recommended by regional party chapters and another 107,000 party faithful selected by the party’s central headquarters.
The six candidates, all Assembly members, are Representatives Suh Chung-won, Choe Byung-yul, Kim Deog-ryong, Kang Jae-sup, Kim Hyong-o and Lee Jae-oh. All the candidates believe that a plurality of 30 percent of the voters who do turn out, perhaps 27,000 votes, would ensure their victory, and party officials expect a close race.
Straw polls put Mr. Suh, who has led the party in the past, in a tight race with Mr. Choe, who has been on a campaign tour of Korea to gather support. He has avoided the Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces, however, where support for the conservative party is weak.
The party’s regional base is in the southeastern Gyeongsang provinces.

by Nam Jeong-ho