Park Attacks Uri Party, Says It Is “Difficult to Understand”

Opposition Grand National Party (GNP) chairwoman Park Geun-hye began to take the offensive yesterday against the pro-government party. It is the first time the GNP leader has directly assailed the ruling party since the April 15 general election.

In a regular party committee on Monday, Park said, “The Uri Party became the leading party. It should take the lead to boost the nation’s depressed economy. However, their behavior has been quite unreasonable.”

“Beyond all question, the urgent thing at this moment is recovering depressed domestic markets and improving the livelihood and economic condition of the people through unemployment or credit default relief measures,” she criticized. “The ruling party announced that its priority was to first revise the periodical publications law and national security law. Is that what the majority of people urgently need at this point?”

In addition, Park pointed out that the pro-government party’s priorities in its policy are based on the interests of the Uri party, not of the public.

Park Geun-hye, who has stressed “politics of co-existence,” has so far tried to restrain herself from taking the offensive against the ruling party.

Regarding the controversial troop dispatch issue to Iraq, Park drew a line at respecting the principle the National Assembly had cleared earlier. However, she expressed a possibility of conversation, if the government requests a discussion of potential problems and issues on the matter with opposition parties.

Meanwhile, Park began her duties as GNP chairperson by receiving operational reports from the party’s administration and financial bureaus, and conducting party affairs in person.

Yeon-Wook Jung jyw11@donga.com