Kim Byung-joon, chairman of the Liberty Korea Party's emergency committee visited the Bongha Village in Gimhae, Gyeongsangnam-do on July 30. He paid his respects at the grave of former President Roh Moo-hyun and visited the former first lady Kwon Yang-sook. It was a symbolic gesture, because the first action Kim took after establishing the emergency committee was to visit Bongha Village. At the village, he said, "It is now time to open a new era, an era of post-nationalism."

"Anti-Park Chung-hee, Pro-Roh Moo-hyun."

This was the first "banner" Kim hung after stepping up as the chairman of the party's emergency committee on July 17. He defined the Park Chung-hee-style development and the state policies of the Moon Jae-in government as both nationalism and fiercely criticized them. Stressing liberty and decentralization, he advocated the Roh Moo-hyun spirit and claimed to be the successor.

Signs of opposition emerged within the Liberty Korea Party, which is still largely under the shadow of Park Chung-hee, hinting at a struggle to determine the party's direction. A conservative party's struggle to determine its vision is practically the first since former lawmaker Park Se-il suggested a battle of conservative ideologies after the defeat in the 2004 parliamentary elections.

Kim clearly stated the reasons for the change in direction in his comments during an official speech and in an interview with the press. He said he would abandon nationalism in the economy. He also put the emphasis on peace rather than security in inter-Korean relations. He showed his determination to cut off any ties with the ideology conceived by the Park Chung-hee government.

Kim said, "We cannot join hands with people who consent to Park Chung-hee's style of state intervention," and added, "We cannot lead the future generation with the modernization of the country and with top priority on security." He also said he wanted to take down the picture of former President Park Chung-hee, which hung in the office of the party's leader.

He also applied nationalism when criticizing the Moon Jae-in government. This day, he said, "They say the government is going to regulate TV programs showing people eating food," and pointed out, " "This is a nationalistic culture." On July 18, he mentioned the proclamation of an amendment banning the installation of coffee vending machines in schools and criticized, "Nationalism is seeping into all corners of our society." His fierce criticism of the Moon Jae-in government appears to be linked to his political ambition to rise as a leader of the conservative party, which currently lacks a strong presidential candidate.

Some critics argued that Kim is drawing attention to the economy, which he sees as the Moon Jae-in government's weak link, to gather the conservative forces.

One senior lawmaker, who contacted Kim to inquire about his intention to run for the mayor of Seoul in the previous local elections said, "I thought he was going to talk about Mayor Park Won-soon, but was surprised to hear him say he would battle President Moon."

As for the Roh Moo-hyun government, which he once served in, Kim assessed it in a positive light claiming that the government had emphasized autonomy, the market and decentralization. When asked about current political issues he often answered with the words, "If it were former President Roh Moo-hyun...." One key lawmaker said, "In terms of value, I think he thinks of himself as the successor to former President Roh, not President Moon."

The pro-Moon politicians refuted. On July 17, lawmaker Chun Jae-soo of the Democratic Party of Korea said, "I ask him not to mention former President Roh for his own ambitions."

Kim retorted, "That is distorting the spirit of Roh Moo-hyun. According to the Roh Moo-hyun spirit, this is the Republic of Korea, and so is that." On July 24, Kim Tae-nyeon, head of policy in the Democratic Party of Korea attacked Kim on his criticism of nationalism and said, "He is trying to trap us in a certain frame."

■ Reforming the Conservatives and Competing with President Moon: Kim Byung-joon's Political Ambition

The members of the Liberty Korea Party, which is to undergo surgery in the hands of Kim, have a more fundamental concern.

Kim proposed the innovation of values as the first goal in the party's reform, and this day set up a subcommittee to reestablish coordinates and values. His success can result in the abolition of existing paths, which can be summarized as anti-communism from the Cold War and the Park Chung-hee-style state-led development.

Last week, there was friction during a dinner with Kim and the party's lawmakers.

One senior lawmaker complained that Kim was “too critical of the Park Chung-hee government.” Kim explained, "What I mean is that at present, such a pursuit of development is not appropriate." Another senior lawmaker said, "There are many more negative aspects of the Roh Moo-hyun government, such as the division of public opinion." One party official said, "The limit to our tolerance is up to former President Kim Dae-jung (DJ)."

Many predicted that Kim would not be able to push ahead with his "beliefs." They claim that the party members, who are hardline conservatives, would not easily accept it. Above all, there is Kim's position. He has to get rid of the problems within the Liberty Korea Party and innovate it, while securing his political position at the same time.

Perhaps Kim was also aware of this, because his message seemed to go back and forth somewhat.

This day Kim mentioned the martial law document drawn up by the Defense Security Command and said, "It is exaggerating to interpret the documents as a coup d'etat plot or a conspiracy of a rebellion," and agreed with the hardliners within the party. On the other hand, when it came to the raising of property taxes, which go against the existing views of the Liberty Korea Party, Kim said he was in favor of the tax hike saying, "I have a different view."

Kim was the man who had designed the comprehensive real estate tax, which the New Korea Party, currently the Liberty Korea Party, had fiercely opposed during the Roh Moo-hyun government.

If Kim attempts to aggressively shift the party's direction, internal conflicts seem inevitable.

The first clash is likely to occur on the topic of security or taxes. One two-time lawmaker said, "The majority of the people do not want a war to break out when their son is in the military," and agreed with Kim. But another senior lawmaker said, "The former leader Hong Joon-pyo referring to it as a show may have been a rough expression, but it is the truth, isn't it? Security is not an issue that can be handled so easily."

Yoon Pyung-joong, a professor of Hanshin University said, "Kim very accurately pinpointed the issue when he suggested that the party get rid of the anti-communism from the Cold War, which tolerates human rights violations for the sake of security," and predicted, "There will be fierce opposition from within the party." He also said, "The nationalism that Kim is speaking of seems to be authoritarian nationalism. But it is questionable as to why he criticized the Moon Jae-in government, which welcomes the civil society, decentralization and autonomy, as being nationalist." This suggested that the Kim Byung-joon-style of reforms among the conservatives could be an experiment.