When former Deputy Prime Minister Choi Kyung-hwan returned from the Cabinet back to the legislature earlier this year, expectations had been high from within the ruling Saenuri Party that he would actively play a bridging role between the party and the presidential office.

But following the party’s crushing defeat in the April 13 general election and the consequent blame game among rivaling factions, Choi now finds that his strength -- being one of the few confidants of President Park Geun-hye -- has boomeranged on him, deterring him from seeking party leadership.

“I will not run in the (party’s) national convention (to elect new leadership), but serve as a rank-and-file lawmaker, hoping that the Park administration and the Saenuri Party may gain back public trust,” Choi said Wednesday in a press conference.

His announcement came just hours before the party’s general meeting during which the interim leadership was set to discuss the blueprint for the national convention slated for Aug. 9.

Choi’s words were confirmation of rampant speculations that his challenge to the party’s chairmanship at this point in time will have more cons than pros.

Those in his faction loyal to the president reportedly had urged him to remain at the center stage so as to offer upmost support to Park, who is currently in the fourth year of her five-year term. But he has also faced pressure for the result of the April race in which the party lost a considerable number of seats, several of them in stronghold constituencies.

Though he was not directly involved in the election strategy including candidate nominations and campaigning, the former finance minister was dubbed the “identifier of the true pro-Park” during the election season by selectively rallying for those considered to be firmly on President Park’s side.

Choi, for instance, participated in the office opening ceremony of then-candidate Kim Jin-tae at Chuncheon, but was nowhere to be seen when non-Park candidates held their campaigns in Daegu. The southeastern conservative stronghold city is also where Choi holds his representative seat.

His discriminative stumping triggered complaints from those outside the mainstream, who considered themselves to be at a disadvantage.

But the tables turned after many of the pro-Park candidates lost in the race and the defeat was largely blamed on their dogmatic operation. Choi and his faction lost face and the upper hand, giving way to the rise of new reformist members, such as floor leader Rep. Chung Jin-suk.

“I was so often accused of manipulating the nominations that some even advised me to regain honor by running for party chairmanship,” Choi claimed.

“But with only the people’s livelihoods and national development in my heart, I will once again sacrifice myself.”

He then alluded to his support for Rep. Suh Chung-won, the eighth-termer the majority of the pro-Park faction is seeking to recommend as chairman candidate.

Choi’s decision to take a back seat for the time being coincides with the burgeoning controversy surrounding another key pro-Park member, Rep. Lee Jung-hyun. The third-term lawmaker and former senior presidential secretary for public affairs is accused of attempting to censor news coverage critical of the government on the 2014 Sewol ferry sinking tragedy.

Despite escalating attacks from the opposition against Lee that they cite as a representative example of oppressive incumbent government against freedom of expression, Lee is set to announce his bid for the chairmanship Thursday.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)