Conservative camp seen to recover unity to face ruling camp

Outspoken Hong Joon-pyo, former governor of pro-conservative Southeastern province of Gyeongsangnam-do won a landslide victory at the national convention of the pro-west, conservative Liberty Korea Party national convention at Namyangju city today. Hong and his followers all but took over all the supporters of former President Park Geun-hye in the party.
Along with his victory, four out of the total five top posts of the party also went to the pro-Hong faction of the party.
Hong won a total of 40,1974 votes, incomparably higher than the runner-up, Won Yoo-chul who collected 11,021 votes. The third place winner was Shin Sang-jin who collected 4,036 votes.


In the opinion polls, too, Hong won achieved a great victory all but winning one half majority with 49.4% of the total number of votes defeating the runner-up, Won Yoo-chul who garnered only 30%. The third place winner was Shin who collected 20.6% of the votes.
The people in South Korea are traditionally conservative and pro-West vis-à-vis the liberals and progressives. However, they lost the control government to the liberals led by incumbent President Moon Jae-in due to a long string of corrupt practices involving a woman influence-peddler, Madam Choi Soon-sil, who eventually brought down the government of former President Park Geun-hye. Both Choi and Park are undergoing a trial.
The Korean conservative camp has thenceforth been in leader-less state as the most of the candidates could not quire measure up to the statue of the former leaders.
Hong strongly denounces the misdemeanor of former President Park and the woman influence peddler, Madam Choi.
Now with Hong in place, the Moon Jae-in government is expected to face a tough concerted opposition offered by a united conservative camp led by Hong and his followers who have completely cut off any link with the corrupt forces of former President Park.
More and more conservatives are expected to join Hong’s camp to form a united front of the conservative camp to compete with President Moon and the ruling party.

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