Calling for Large-Scale Reform

The Uri Party yesterday asked the opposition parties to take responsibility for the current political issues and urged them to reform. This move came after the National Assembly again passed a bill authorizing an independent investigation into the corruption scandals against the president’s former aides on Thursday.

It is expected to deal a serious blow to the political arena, as the Uri Party wants President Roh Moo-hyun and some ministers who are likely to run in the April general elections to join the party as soon as possible.

Rep. Chough Soon-hyung of the Millennium Democratic Party held a press conference yesterday in Jeonju, South Jeolla Province, where the party has political dominance, and urged the Blue House, the Korean counterpart of the White House, to reform itself and accept the party’s requests to resolve the national crisis.

“President Roh and the Blue House only speak to the ruling party and don’t have dialogues with opposition party members, and that’s a big problem,” said Uri Party leader Rep. Kim One-ki during a party meeting held yesterday. “When there is no order in politics, that is the responsibility of the entire political arena. However, despite tackles by the opposition parties, the government and the ruling party, which should lead the political community, are more responsible.”

Rep. Kim Geun-tae, the party`s floor leader, also criticized the lack of cooperation within the party saying, “Although our party claims to be a politically ruling party, in fact, it is greatly ambiguous and doesn’t work well.”

“In order to take responsibility as a ruling party and effectively compete with the GNP (Grand National Party), the call for President Roh to join our party as quickly as possible within this month is gaining momentum,” said Rep. Lee Sang-soo of the party. “The Blue House and the cabinet should reform themselves, and we need reformists within the government to join our party.”

During the press conference, Rep. Chough also called for the creation of a neutral cabinet free of political interests in order to manage the upcoming general elections in April. He said, “The ruling party should stop its effort to have ministers join its party before the general elections and thus interrupting the ministers. The cabinet should reform itself immediately by firing incompetent ministers, inappropriate ministers, and ministers who are likely to run in the general elections.”

Chough also called for Roh`s immediate withdrawal of the referendum, cooperation with an independent counsel probe into corruption allegations against the president’s former aides, and a clear-cut relationship between the president and the Uri Party. He said, “Our party is willing to cooperate on state affairs if our requests for government reform are accepted.”

“President Roh basically does not consider any reform merely to change the current situation,” an official at the Blue House said. He said, regarding the Uri Party’s request to join its party, that it is “a matter to consider after important issues such as the troop dispatch to Iraq are handled at the National Assembly.”

Sung-Won Park Jeong-Hun Kim swpark@donga.com jnghn@donga.com