13 S. Korean lawmakers defect from minor conservative party

Thirteen South Korean lawmakers on Tuesday announced their defection from the minor conservative Righteous Party, with just a week left before a presidential election.

The lawmakers, who created the new party earlier this year, held a press conference in the parliamentary building, saying they will join the former ruling Liberty Korea Party and throw support behind Hong Joon-pyo, the party's candidate for the upcoming presidential election slated for May 9.

The Righteous Party was officially launched on Jan. 24 as 32 former Liberty Korea Party members, who had voted for the impeachment bill on former President Park Geun-hye, divided the former ruling party.

The new conservative party drew much attention from voters as it was created by younger generation politicians who argue for new conservative values in the country, where conservative President Park was removed from office over corruption allegations.

Yoo Seong-min, the Righteous Party's presidential candidate, received a favorable evaluation following TV debates, but his support rate hovered around 5 percent, the fifth among five major presidential candidates.

Yoo's colleague lawmakers demanded the merge of candidacies with Hong, the Liberty Party Korea candidate, but Yoo refused it and vowed to run the presidential race to the end.

In addition to the 13 members, two to three could reportedly defect the Righteous Party in the near future.

Hong recently emerged as a conservative candidate who can represent the conservative bloc as his support score came closer to Ahn Cheol-soo of the centrist People's Party.

Moon Jae-in, a longtime frontrunner and a candidate of the biggest Minjoo Party, widened his lead in recent polls, more than doubling the approval rating of Ahn, a runner-up to Moon. Endit