Will Emergency Cabinet Be Formed?

Cheong Wa Dae is making plans for an emergency cabinet in case lawmakers of the ruling party and opposition parties demand one. Some lawmakers proposed it in the National Assembly on November 9, and Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Yun Tae-yeong explained in a briefing: “For the past year, the issue of the private school law caused trouble in administering the affairs of state, and a delay in processing national defense and justice reforms, the non-regular employment bill, and the nomination of Jeon Hyo-sook as chief of the Constitutional Court. If lawmakers of the ruling party and opposition parties agree to process these issues and demand an emergency cabinet, Cheong Wa Dae may consider it.”

As for forming a nonpartisan emergency cabinet, Yun added, “The president and the prime minister discussed it at the end of last month. But Cheong Wa Dae did not make the suggestion because they suspected the ruling party and opposition parties could not reach an agreement.”

To the question whether the talk over forming a nonpartisan emergency cabinet presupposes President Roh’s defection, Yun said, “No, it doesn’t.”

Some ruling party lawmakers, including Kim Bu-kyum and Choi Kyu-sik, argued for the need to form an emergency cabinet, saying, “We should let the president concentrate on administering the affairs of state outside of political strife.”

GNP lawmaker Jeong Jong-bok also argued, “A nonpartisan emergency security cabinet needs to be formed to address the crisis caused by the North Korean nuclear test and other national security issues.”

Democratic Party lawmaker Cho Soon-hyung said, “To overcome national crisis situations, the president should resign his membership of the Uri Party and concentrate on national administration by forming an emergency cabinet.”

However, the formation of an emergency cabinet is not likely to happen since the GNP is not enthusiastic about discussing the proposal, saying, “It is a trick to put the responsibility for national administration failures on opposition parties.”

GNP leader Kang Jae-seop, who proposed the formation of a “management-style cabinet,” explained, “It is a suggestion aimed at employing neutral experts who respect the will of the people and work for the national interest. The GNP is not interested in participating in the cabinet or selecting cabinet members.”

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