hankyoreh

By Im In-tack

According to survey results announced on Friday, only one in five members of the public claims to like the Grand National Party's new name, “Saenuridang.” 
　

The survey was conducted by Realmeter and shows most respondents held negative views, with 21.2% of respondents agreeing with the statement “I like it” and 38.0% opting for “I don't like it.” The survey showed overwhelmingly negative opinions among young people and political independents. Supporters of parties other than the GNP all held negative opinions. Even among supporters of the GNP, only 42.6% claimed to like the name. 
　
Criticism is also growing among GNP lawmakers. “As the Saenuridang, can anyone know what we do as politicians and which way we're oriented as a party?” tweeted Rep. Chun Yu-ok on Friday. “It's a shame that the name has no cause, philosophy or any thought about what kind of new world it is, or what is a new world.” (The name “Saenuridang” translates literally as “New World Party.”)
In a posting on his website titled “The Grasshopper Party? Saenuridang is the worst possible name change,” conservative commentator Jo Gap-se criticized the name, saying, “It would be all right as the name of a kindergarten. But a party name must be created through reflection and deliberation. If it's done in a way like deliberately shutting down and reopening a business, it's bound to fail. A party that has to carry out ideological warfare on the Korean Peninsula, an ideological battlefield, must reflect the values it pursues in its party name. What ideology does Saenuridang reflect? There's no telling. The Grand National Party will lose several million votes through its sloppy name change.”
Pro-Park Geun-hye lawmaker Yoo Seong-min objected strongly to the name change, calling for a general meeting of lawmakers. “The name Saenuridang reflects no values or identity whatsoever. When it comes to such an important matter, a general meeting of lawmakers must be heard and their opinions absolutely must be asked.” 
　

Party leaders such as emergency committee chairwoman Park Geun-hye, on the other hand, made clear their intentions to confirm Saenuridang as the party name.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]