GNP, Two-Top System Consisting of Chairman and Floor Leader

Internal disputes over establishing a relationship with the pro-government Uri Party and issues relating to the shuffling of leadership are spreading in the opposition Grand National Party.

Indirectly criticizing Park Geun-hye’s flexibility toward the Uri Party during a standing committee yesterday, Chung Ui-wha, vice-floor leader of the GNP, stated, “The politics of coexistence depends upon the ruling party, not the opposition party. The opposition party exists in order to check the ruling party.”

Rep. Kim Young-sun also pushed GNP to set up a definitive position on state affairs.

Park emphasized the two principles of “renouncing partisan conflicts” and “firmly critiquing the ruling party’s maladministration.”

“The politics of coexistence does not mean ‘no fighting under any condition.’ Even though we must move beyond partisan confrontation, we have to severely critique misgovernment, standing firm for the national interests,” Park said.

Unofficially, Park repeated several times, “If we lose people’s trust due to frequent disputes and confrontations, right action based on obvious grounds loses its true meaning.”

Cancellation of the originally scheduled public welfare tour to Jeju was decided upon in accordance with the above-mentioned principles. She worried her visit to Jeju would affect the June 5 gubernatorial re-election outcome.

In the meantime, Wednesday Morning Study Meeting, attended by younger party members, officially conceived the scheme to push for a “two-top decentralized leadership system” of chairman and floor leader during the press conference.

This group’s goal is to strengthen the floor leader’s authority by establishing a decision making body such as the steering committee for the National Assembly.

The Strategy Research for National Development, which primarily consists of three-time elected lawmakers and elected candidates supporting collective leadership, stated “We will set up the agenda for national development to compete with current government for policies.”

“We didn’t discuss matters concerning the leadership system today,” said elected candidate Gong Sung-jin, preparatory committee chairman.

Myoung-Gun Lee gun43@donga.com