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SEOUL: The man who helped secure President Lee Myung-Bak's election victory was chosen on Thursday to lead South Korea's conservative ruling party.
Park Hee-Tae took the helm of the Grand National Party (GNP) after winning 6,129 votes compared to 5,286 for his main challenger Chung Mong-Joon.
Park's election as GNP chairman could lead to closer cooperation with the presidential office in overcoming a variety of challenges.
During his two-year term, he was expected to focus on healing party splits. The 69-year-old former prosecutor has served five terms in the legislature.
His rival, Chung, 56, a former presidential aspirant for a liberal party, is the largest shareholder in the world's top shipyard Hyundai Heavy Industries. He switched support to the GNP in December 2007.
Park faces the daunting task of addressing feuding between rival GNP factions and putting the troubled parliament back on track.
The opposition party is boycotting the legislature in protest at the government's decision to resume US beef imports.
- AFP/so
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