Approval of satellite party

It's up to voters to judge which side is right in April 15 election

The National Election Commission (NEC) has approved the registration of the Future Korea Party, a satellite party of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) founded to win proportional representation seats in the April 15 general election.

The election watchdog appears to have considered the matter deeply before reaching its decision. The Future Korea Party filed an application for its registration with the NEC, Feb. 6, and the election commission approved the registration Feb. 13, the legal deadline. The NEC carefully weighed if it would be appropriate to approve the party launched by the LKP to beat the odds in the allocation of proportional representation seats under the revised Election Law.

Earlier, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) had urged the NEC not to accept the Future Korea Party's application, saying, "More fake parties will appear if its application is accepted." But with the LKP satellite party gaining official approval, the controversy over its legality is over.

Nevertheless, the main opposition party is not free from the criticism that it has resorted to an expedient ― although the Future Korea Party met necessary requirements, it's an affiliated party solely intended to secure proportional representation seats. The DPK can't avoid criticism, either, for having joined forces with smaller parties to pass a contentious electoral reform bill instead of discussing the crucial election issue with the largest opposition party.

The launch of the Future Korea Party is likely to make our political landscape more chaotic. If LKP supporters shift to it in droves in proportional representation votes, the DPK's efforts to curb the LKP increasing its number of parliamentary seats will turn out to be futile. The ruling party, however, has no one to blame but itself for the fiasco. Now it's up to voters to judge which side is right. What's certain is that the problem-ridden Election Law should be revised by the next National Assembly.