Saenuri unveils campaign co-chairs

Park Geun-hye, presidential candidate of the Saenuri Party, announces the appointment of her campaign team’s three co-chairmen and a co-chairwoman at the conservative party’s headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, Thursday. / Yonhap

Park Geun-hye to lead campaign pledge committee

Rep. Park Geun-hye, presidential candidate of the ruling Saenuri Party, announced Thursday that former Constitutional Court Chief Justice Kim Yong-joon, Sungjoo Group CEO Kim Sung-joo, former party leader Chung Mong-joon and incumbent party chief Hwang Woo-yea will jointly lead her campaign.

The 60-year-old veteran politician said she will personally spearhead her election camp’s national unity committee — to which her move to tap a liberal politician, convicted of bribery charges, as chairman triggered an internal feud — as well as another new committee on campaign pledges.

“Now all that’s left is to take action,” she said, while stressing the importance of maintaining harmony among members of her camp.

Her remarks came on the heels of an internal feud among senior campaign strategists and new nominees as reformists refused to work together with certain members, such as floor leader Lee Hahn-koo and Han Kwang-ok, former chief of staff to late President Kim Dae-jung.

“We must unite to win the election,” she said.

“We cannot afford to be engulfed in further conflicts.”

The daughter of the late President Park Chung-hee also underlined that she will do her utmost to fulfill campaign pledges.

“In order to keep promises to the people, I will launch a campaign pledge committee and personally lead it. I will make sure each one of the promises are fulfilled,” she said.

Park said she made her latest appointments with the goal of creating a country that can overcome past grievances and discord and seek a bright new future based on sweeping reforms, national unity and the pursuit of personal happiness.

She said the former chief justice, who had polio, has set an example by showing physical disabilities are not an obstacle in reaching one’s goals.

Park added that she named the CEO and chairwoman of the Sungjoo Group because she represents a new breed of forward-looking entrepreneurs. Kim was chosen among Asia’s 50 Power Businesswomen by Forbes this year.

She said Chung’s appointment is designed to overcome past disagreements with the party. The seven-term lawmaker was at odds with the presidential hopeful over how to proceed with the primary race, which he previously boycotted.

Park noted that Hwang, who was originally expected to not play a role in the election camp, was made a co-chairman to enhance cooperation between the official election organization and the party.

“For the country to move forward there is a need to heal social divisions,” Park said.

She added that she will pursue political reform and democratization of the economy and deal with corruption and injustice by focusing on fulfilling the wishes of the people.

Besides the three co-chairmen and one co-chairwoman, Park said former lawmaker Kim Moo-sung will be in charge of overall election strategy with Han to be chief vice chairman of the national unity committee.

The announcement of the key posts effectively completes the camp’s senior line-up.

In late August, Park named Kim Jong-in, an economist-turned-politician, as head of a special committee on people’s happiness and former Supreme Court Judge Ahn Dae-hee to lead a political reform special committee. <The Korea Times/Lee Tae-hoon>

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