탄핵의 강을 거슬러 오르는 국민의힘 [한겨레 프리즘]

On November 3, 2017, the Freedom Korea Party officially nominated former President Park Geun-hye as the "1st Party Member" and imposed a forced expulsion. During a press conference, representative Hong Joon-pyo pledged to reflect deeply on the incompetency and irresponsibility of the Park Geun-hye administration and transform into a clean, competent, and responsible conservative party.

Allowing state intervention without the consent of the people, abusing the authority granted by the nation, and violating principles of parliamentary democracy and legal justice led to Park Geun-hye's dismissal seven months later. This decision came just a month after the Constitutional Court's expulsion of Park Geun-hye, who had become a symbol of the 'New Party' as it was at the time, after the 'New Party' was discarded.

The 'New Party' had abandoned its name to represent the disheartened sentiment of the people. The 'New Party' that succeeded Freedom Korea Party took in Park Geun-hye, who had been expelled from the party, at a member's banquet on the 27th. During a 20-minute speech, Park Geun-hye urged members to "not allow internal divisions to become more severe" and "not to hate or belittle each other."

She mentioned the "endless pounding" of the era when internal discord leads to collapse, stating that if the reality is faced and effort is made collectively, the majority can be won and the government can be obtained. She also made fun of the fact that someone who violated the constitution by serving as president would now be trying to uphold constitutional values and deliver feasible policies for the benefit of citizens.

At the end of her speech, she asked, "Can I still be trusted by you," and the members responded with a unified standing ovation. Nearly a decade after Park Geun-hye's dismissal, the struggle for leadership within the conservative ranks was once again centered around the "Trial of the Strong." The message of "crossing the strong river" persisted as the conservative parties went through reunification, division, and reunification.

The promise to fundamentally reform the party was repeated during each election. However, the current appearance of these members who have crossed the river appears to be more like crossing it without noticing that anything had happened. Park Geun-hye's appearance was partly driven by the need for the leaderless National Power to be buoyed.

On January 22, nine years after her appearance in the National Assembly, Park Geun-hye left after 8 days and vowed to end her special hunger strike demanding examination of the 'Tong-il Democratic Party' and 'Democratic Party' joint candidacy. She supported the candidates for the 6·3 local elections but failed to gain much support, becoming a salvation figure for National Power.

Her actions were not just support but an attempt to recover her "political honor." Her presence was considered as "going back to the past" itself. A representative of the Democratic Party, Jeon Eun-su, criticized this as "going back to the past" in her more-than-a-year-long tenure in the National Power. 'Tong-il Democratic Party' Vice-President Kim Min-su even said that the impeachment was a political indictment, and that Park Geun-hye's restoration of honor was something that had to be done in front of history.

While the 'New Party' emphasized rebuilding conservative values and ushering in a new era of conservatism in its first week of assuming office, the question remains as to what "new conservatism" will be established.