Civic organizations criticize both ruling and opposition parties

Park Won-Soon, secretary general of People¡¯s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, criticized both the ruling and opposition parties at a social gathering arranged by the External Cooperation Committee (Chairman Kim Moon-Soo) of the Grand National Party (GNP).

Pointing out the forfeiture of the will to reform and the shortage of policy counterproposals, he attacked the GNP first in a keynote remark: ¡°Is the GNP willing to follow the ruling styles of YS (former President Kim Young-Sam) or DJ (President Kim Dae-Jung) even if it attains power in the next year¡¯s general elections? The GNP gains scores while sitting still as the ruling party is in a mess. But will it do well if it grasps power next time? Is it trying to garner power to spoil the country?¡±

Park also criticized the present administration.

¡°A number of people worked in cooperation with the DJ administration, but now they are changing their minds,¡± he said. ¡°Without a reform, do you think that survival is possible? You have to conduct a sweeping operation on the remainders of the development-oriented dictatorship, including the reform of the judicature.¡±

As for the policy toward North Korea, he said, ¡°The policy toward North Korea by the Kim Dae-Jung administration is right, even though there might be problems in the speed.¡±