(LEAD) Outgoing parliamentary chief launches think tank

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; UPDATES throughout to indicate think tank was launched)

SEOUL, May 26 (Yonhap) -- Outgoing National Assembly Speaker Chung Ui-hwa launched a think tank on Thursday with political watchers paying keen attention to the role of the centrist politician-led institution ahead of next year's presidential election.

Chung, currently affiliated with the ruling Saenuri Party, opened the think tank, roughly translated as "New Korea Vision," during a founding ceremony where more than 100 politicians and scholars participated as its members, his aides said.

The ceremony came a day after Chung pledged to build a "big tent" to bring together "future-oriented" centrist forces to push for political reform -- in an allusion to the creation of a centrist political party.

The National Assembly's Secretary-General Park Hyung-joon, who serves as a chief researcher at the new think tank, said that the institution will focus on research about policy and strategy concerning the 2017 presidential election -- rather than on academic issues.

"We will study the crucial reform agenda for a new government that would be launched following the presidential election and how to carry out that reform," Park told Yonhap News Agency over the phone.

He also pointed out that the think tank could serve as a platform to create a new political party.

"Though the think tank will not be immediately turned into a political party, it could play a role -- to a certain extent -- as a platform (to create a new party)," he said.

"It can also help those sharing the same values and vision to join forces to create a new political force," he added.

The think tank's founding members include non-mainstream Saenuri Party members such as Reps. Choung Byoung-gug and Chung Doo-un. The institution also includes opposition lawmakers such as Chin Young of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea and Kim Dong-cheol of the minority People's Party.

Some political observers say that the think tank could play a role in reshaping the political landscape, though some downplayed its significance, since it does not include big household names that could decisively impact the political scene.

"Chung is a centrist politician himself, but not a figure being mentioned as a potential presidential candidate with a strong political following," Yoo Yong-hwa, a political commentator, told Yonhap.

"But it is still possible that he can build some sort of political entity by attracting some non-mainstream members of the ruling and opposition parties," he added.

sshluck@yna.co.kr
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