South Korea:Ruling Party Saenuri's Non-Park Group to Decide

>Saenuri breakup imminent
40 lawmakers may quit Saenuri this week
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2016/12/116_220535.html
About 40 lawmakers are likely to quit the ruling Saenuri Party this week to form a new conservative bloc following a nasty power struggle with loyalists of President Park Geun-hye.

>South Korean ruling party on the verge of splitting as fallout from presidential scandal intensifies

A split would complicate any presidential bid by outgoing UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who had been widely expected to compete as a centre-right candidate
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2056271/south-korean-ruling-party-verge-splitting-fallout-presidential

>S.Korea seeks arrest of daughter of Park's friend at centre of scandal
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/korea-seeks-arrest-daughter-parks-031522745.html

>Saenuri dissenters to leave ruling party
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2016/12/21/0301000000AEN20161221000955315.html

>South Korea seeks to arrest daughter of woman at center of scandal that impeached President Park
http://indianexpress.com/article/world/south-korea-seeks-to-arrest-daughter-of-woman-at-center-of-scandal-that-impeached-president-park-4438172/

>Former Chief, Floor Leader Decide to Leave Ruling Party
http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/news_Po_detail.htm?No=124071

Former Chairman Kim Moo-sung and former Floor Leader Yoo Seong-min of the Saenuri Party confirmed that they will be defecting from the ruling camp. Their decision to break away from the Saenuri is expected to trigger a mass departure by other lawmakers of the party, hit hard by the political scandal involving the president.
Mina Cha has more.

Report: Former Saenuri Party Chairman Kim Moo-sung and its previous floor leader Yoo Seong-min agreed to finish administrative procedures for their defection by next week.

They are leading the party's lawmakers not aligned with President Park Geun-hye, who is now on the verge of impeachment.

In a phone interview with KBS, Yoo said as many lawmakers as possible should join the first wave of defection.

Other members of the non-mainstream faction, including Rep. Hwang Young-cheul, have also made it official to leave the Saenuri.

[Sound bite: Rep. Hwang Young-cheul, Saenuri Party (Korean)]
“We can’t say precisely how many lawmakers will leave the party, but I am sure it will be 20 or more. We will form a floor negotiation group and take steps to exercise influence at the parliament.”

The pro-Park faction has strongly censured the nonmainstream lawmakers.

>>93567
Pro-Park heavyweight Rep. Suh Chung-won said those who want to leave the party should go. He added the non-loyalists are behaving as if they had suddenly become fighters.

The pro-Park faction has also launched efforts to stabilize the party in response to potential defections, mentioning the possibility to appoint external figures such as former Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik or former ruling party Chairman Lee Hoi-chang as the party’s interim leader.

With ties already strained as a result of the Choi Soon-sil scandal, the conflict within the ruling party is deepening after the pro-Park faction rejected the non-Park faction's proposal that Rep. Yoo Seong-min be appointed as the party's interim leader.

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>Populism Comes to South Korea
https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/comment/populism-comes-south-korea