New GNP chief tasked to embrace rival faction

As a longstanding confidant of President Lee Myung-bak, incoming ruling party chief Ahn Sang-soo will naturally do his utmost to rebuild the dwindling public trust in the president as he enters the latter half of his term next month. 

Yet another task with the same, if not heavier, weight of importance is achieving unity among different factions within the ruling bloc, which means Ahn must embrace a powerful rival of the president who is outspokenly opposed to many of his policies. 

“There should be no more power-struggles within the party. The party must be reborn through change, reform and unity,” the new chairman of the Grand National Party told a meeting of Supreme Council members Thursday, echoing the president’s earlier request. 

Grand National Party leader Ahn Sang-soo speaks during a meeting of the party’s Supreme Council on Thursday.                                                                 Yang Dong-chul/The Korea Herald