Accusations fly over Dialogue with the People

Ruling and opposition lawmakers engaged in a heated debate Tuesday over the three-hour live TV coverage by all three national networks of President`s Kim Dae-Jung`s recent ``Dialogue with the People.`` The standoff over the March 1 televised town hall meeting took place during talks by the National Assembly`s Culture-Tourism Committee.

Opposition Grand National Party (GNP) lawmakers claimed that the ratings for the event were much lower than those for the previous three presidential dialogues and cited this as evidence of the people`s ``thorough indifference.`` However, lawmakers of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) argued that it made no sense to evaluate the people`s political awareness based on TV ratings.

``I think the `Dialogue with the People,` during which ordinary people can address their problems directly to the president, is an indispensable way for him to keep his thumb on the pulse of the nation,`` said KBS president Park Kwon-Sang. ``Though the ratings fell this time around, it would be unwise to conclude that the event was a failure.``

Kim Jung-Hoon jnghn@donga.com