South Korea's ruling Uri Party was forced out of the top spot in the country's legislature as 23 lawmakers quit yesterday to form a new party ahead of presidential elections later this year.
The defection is likely to further cripple President Roh Moo-hyun's efforts to garner legislative support for key policies. Roh is already suffering from worsening public approval and considered a lame duck in his last year in office.
With the lawmakers' decision to leave, the Uri Party now has 110 seats in the 299-member National Assembly, boosting the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) to the No. 1 spot with 127 seats.
Several lawmakers have already left the Uri Party in the hope of distancing themselves from unpopular Roh ahead of the December presidential election. More defections are expected.
"We will sincerely cooperate with President Roh Moo-hyun so that he can manage affairs during the remainder of his term, but we strongly reject any political intervention," the 23 lawmakers said in a joint statement
"We hope many lawmakers would join us," the statement said.
Details on a new party have yet to be determined. The Uri Party is expected to announce the party's plans for a breakup at their annual convention next week.
The Uri Party said in a statement that yesterday's mass defections were "not a desirable act in view of political morals," adding the defectors should have joined forces with party members instead if it wanted to form another party.
It is widely expected the Uri Party will split into at least two groups.
It is common in South Korea for politicians to launch new parties ahead of presidential elections to bolster their chances.
The Uri Party has suffered humiliating defeats in recent local elections as Roh's popularity has waned, amid perceptions that his administration is unwilling to acknowledge its failure to counter soaring house prices and revive a stagnant economy.
Roh has criticized moves within the Uri Party to form a new party, and has even offered to quit the party to contain such steps.
Roh's single five-year term ends in February next year.
The ruling camp lacks a prominent candidate to compete against presidential hopefuls from the conservative GNP.
Latest polls show former Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak, a Hyundai chief executive turned politician, as the front runner, followed by Park Geun-hye, the daughter of former military dictator Park Chung-hee. Both are in the GNP.
Presidential hopefuls are to formally declare their candidacy in November.
The Uri Party was formed in 2003 as a splinter from the then ruling Democratic Party.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the