LEE AND PARK SHOWDOWN HEATS UP

C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 001384 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2014 TAGS: PGOV PREL KS SUBJECT: LEE AND PARK SHOWDOWN HEATS UP REF: A. SEOUL 1213 ¶B. SEOUL 975 Classified By: A/DCM Joseph Y. Yun. Reasons 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The two leading candidates for president face a decision point: whether to remain within the Grand National Party (GNP),agreeing to abide by the results of the party's August primary, or whether to leave the party and pursue the presidency independently. The two leading candidates, Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, have stepped up their tense rivalry since the GNP lost in the April 25 by-elections (Ref A). After tense finger-pointing and calls for mass resignation of the GNP leadership council, Lee and Park appeared to reach a resolution on May 1 when Lee pledged to support the current GNP Chairman, Kang Jae-sup and the two candidates agreed to meet on May 4. Their May 4 meeting aimed to patch over the candidates' differences, but instead led to a new round of political attacks. Observers view the internal strife in two ways: the bickering will lead to a split in the party; or, the two candidates, already committed to join the GNP primary, are now looking to gain an advantage before the primary rules are finalized. Chairman Kang announced he would finalize primary details on May 10 and Lee Myung-bak pledged to accept his decision. Park expressed reservations and criticized Kang for proposing further changes to the primary rules. END SUMMARY. -------------- BACKGROUND ON THE BATTLE -------------- ¶2. (C) Last summer, after Park Geun-hye stepped down as GNP party chairman, the election of her replacement was seen as the first key battle between the two main GNP candidates. Lee's close confidant Lee Jae-oh ran against Park supporter Kang Jae-sup. In a tight race, Kang won. Last summer, Park led Lee in polls and had a stronger party support base. In October, 2006, Lee vaulted ahead of Park in all polls and has since enjoyed a double digit lead. Lee's sustained popular support has also eroded Park's internal party support. Informal internal party polling and Assembly sources suggest Lee currently has a slight lead inside the GNP. When former Prime Minister Goh Kun dropped out of the race in January, Lee's support grew and no non-GNP candidate has emerged with significant public support. -------------- PRIMARY ISSUES -------------- ¶3. (C) The center of the battle between Lee and Park focuses on the details of the GNP primary. (Ref B) The primary is set to occur before August 22 and general agreement was reached in March on who could participate in the primary, but other details are still to be determined. Currently a total of 200,000 people -- 40,000 GNP senior party members, 60,000 GNP party members, 60,000 public voters and 40,000 through polls -- can vote in the primary. At dispute is how to weigh the 40,000 votes chosen through the polls. Park argues that it should be the absolute number of votes, while Lee believes that whatever the number of votes, this group must be accorded a 20 percent weight. ¶4. (C) Lee claims primary regulations should better reflect public opinion while Park contends the March agreement should stand. Chairman Kang, in an attempt to keep the party together, said he would announce new, final primary rules on May 10 and many assume the new rules would reflect a change favorable to Lee. Park told reporters May 8, "Who will keep principles if they are in tatters?" Her advisors told poloff that she must, on principle, go against any further changes since the primary regulations have already been changed three times, not to mention the current rules favor her cause. -------------- SURVIVE TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY -------------- ¶5. (C) With the party registration deadline nearing (sometime in May, still to be determined),Lee and Park are losing time to create credible justification for leaving the party. After the by-election loss, some claimed the GNP had to regroup, reform or even disband to have a chance to win in December. Many pundits surmise that since the party survived the turmoil after the by-elections, Lee and Park will both join the primary. If Lee and Park enter the primary together, and the loser supports the winner, the eventual GNP candidate will be tough to beat, according to most pundits. -------------- SO, A GNP LANDSLIDE . . . -------------- ¶6. (C) Leading political analyst, Chung Ang University professor Jaung Hong, told poloff on May 2 that the latest drama about the breakup of the GNP was just that -- drama. He noted that since there was no credible candidate from the progressive camp, a more likely scenario than the demise or split of the GNP was a landslide victory in December for Lee or Park. Jaung is part of a team of political scientists analyzing the candidates' policies for conservative "Chosun Ilbo" newspaper. ¶7. (C) He noted that Lee, with the most money and largest staff, had much more in-depth, detailed policy stances on a wide range of issues. Park, he noted, had made a big strategic mistake by emphasizing the conservative aspect of her policy positions. In spring/summer 2006, Park led most polls, not for her policies, but for her perceived reasonable leadership approach. Park ceased emphasizing her reasonable approach and had suffered in the polls since. Regardless of the policy choices or strategic mistakes either of the GNP candidates makes, Jaung asserted the GNP would come out on top in December because of the lack of a progressive candidate. -------------- . . . OR HEADING TOWARD BREAKUP? -------------- ¶8. (C) Hong Hyoung-sik, head of Hangil Research, a liberal polling firm, told poloff May 3 he suspected one of the two leading GNP candidates could still split from the party before the registration deadline. Many speculate that the large political camps the two candidates have formed have taken on their own bureaucratic inertia and would be difficult to merge now, or even after the primary outcome. Hong was also pessimistic about the progressives, and noted that even if the GNP split, it would still be difficult for any progressive candidate to win in December. Another leading progressive analyst, political science professor Kang Won-taek, told poloff May 4 that Lee and Park have no choice but to mend fences for now. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶9. (C) The first round of the battle for the GNP candidacy has begun in earnest. Many pundits, both on the left and right of the political spectrum, assume the presidency, will go to the winner of the GNP primary. Provided the GNP remains united. Sources close to both Lee and Park say, despite rumors and press exaggerations, that it would be impossible for their candidate to leave the GNP. Those who have left the party in the past have not succeeded and, for now at least, there is nothing to suggest either Lee or Park could buck that trend in Korean politics. VERSHBOW