Opposition leader calls for talks with the president once again

The main opposition Democratic Party officially declined President Park Geun-hye’s proposal on Wednesday to hold a five-party talk participated by chairmen and floor leaders from the both ruling and opposition parties.

Kim Han-gil, the party chairman, said, “The proposal for a five-party talk can hardly be considered as a result of an earnest deliberation on solutions to the present serious political situation,” adding, “I once again propose an exclusive talk.” Kim had his chief secretary Roh Woong-rae deliver this message at the National Campaign Headquarters in Seoul Plaza in front of the Seoul City Hall.

“If the president shows respect toward an opposition party chairman, more people will come to respect the president. I do not care about the type or formality of the exclusive talk. This is totally different from the framework and protocol of the inter-party summit that President Park called for as an opposition party leader in September 2005 under the Roh Moo-hyun administration. Back then, the former president replied to Park that he “will not care about the agenda or format (of the summit).”

Opposition leader Kim’s chief secretary said, “Giving an answer that satisfies only part of the proposal from an opposition party leader is degrading and disprizing treatment of the party chairman.” Regarding ruling Saenuri Party Chairman Hwang Woo-yeo’s offer to hold a three-party talk, however, the secretary said the suggestion “could be considered.”

On this development, Presidential Chief of Staff Kim Ki-chun said in a meeting of senior secretaries, “(Democratic party’s refusal) is unfortunate because I think it’s better to get together and talk about many pending issues on behalf of the people. We’ll keep the door open and wait,” meaning that the presidential office will keep an eye on the Democratic Party for a while to see if the party will change its attitude.

Accordingly, the exclusive meeting between the president and the chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party will not likely be held soon. However, considering that a prolonged political stagnation can be detrimental to the handling of issues to be dealt with during the September regular session of the National Assembly, including bills for people’s livelihood and budget bills for next year, certain people say that the presidential office will may come up with a three-party talk as a compromise plan.