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With 15 lawmakers on trial, S. Korean parties scramble ahead of October by-elections
Floor leaders from both the ruling and opposition parties were also present at Jogye Temple
in Seoul... in an apparent attempt to capture the hearts of voters... ahead of an upcoming
by-election in October. With several lawmakers from both parties on
trial for election law violations..., party leaders are scrambling to woo the public and
recruit new talent. Our Lee Ji-yoon has more. A total of 15 lawmakers
are currently being tried for either violating the election law or receiving illegal political
funds ahead of last year's April general elections. Of the 15,...10 of them are from the ruling
Saenuri Party. This means that if they're found guilty,...
their seats will be up for grabs in the October by-elections,... which could also mean the
ruling party could lose its majority in parliament if it loses its seats to opposition candidates.
So the ruling party has already begun preparing for the elections, in a bid to regain the
public's support. It recently announced plans to strengthen
its talent recruitment committee and reform its candidate nomination process.
"A political party's goal is to win trust in an election. Every election serves as a
gauge of public sentiment, so we will try our best to not let the Korean people down."
The main opposition Democratic Party is just as eager to win in October.
With a new party leader and floor leader in place, the opposition party is also looking
to create a committee to recruit talented candidates,... while reforming its nomination
process. The party's been struggling to reform itself
since its presidential election defeat last December AND its defeat in the April by-elections.
"A new Democratic Party will not avoid public judgment in any election. We will compete
fairly and abide by the public's orders."
Back in April, the Democratic Party took a hit after former presidential candidate Ahn
Cheol-soo won in Seoul's Nowon District. Political analysts say that,... there's a
possibility that Ahn could field candidates in regions once dominated by the DP in October,
which would make it harder for the its candidates to win seats.
Lee Ji-yoon, Arirang News.