Two Presidential Candidates Put Forward Pledges

Former Grand National Party (GNP) Chairwoman Park Geun-hye yesterday announced her “Train-Ferry” plan which involves launching a rail and sea route linking Korea, China, and Japan. Park’s announcement is, in effect, her campaign pledge for the next presidential election in response to former Seoul city mayor Lee Myung-bak’s plan to establish a pan-national canal project.

Train-ferry is a system in which a ship carries one country’s entire freight train, which arrives at a port by rail, to the other countries’ port, with the train continuing to a final destination via a railroad in the country.

In a lecture on the experience of Korea’s Saemaeul movement and the co-prosperity of Korea-China held at a Communist school in Beijing, Park noted the above matter, saying, “Operating a train–ferry linking Korea’s port in the west and Chinese coastal city is a good idea.”

Park noted, “The train-ferry system can significantly reduce distribution costs and contribute to economic and trade development and be a starting point for the Northeast Asia community,” and explained, “Starting with a triangular train-ferry system linking Incheon Port, Yantai Port, and Dalian Port, the system could extend to Pyeongtaek Port, Gunsan Port, Mokpo Port, and other Chinese ports.” Park will visit Yantai and have a look around the wharf facilities on November 29.

Park added, “If Japan’s rail freight is unloaded at Korea’s port on the East Sea under the train-ferry network and is transported to Europe via China, this will bring about revolutionary change in Northeast Asia’s distribution system,” and announced her plan to transport Korean Japanese freights by ferry and Trans-China Railway (TCR) and Trans-Siberia Railway (TSR) to Europe.

A Saemaeul song was playing while Park was explaining about Saemaeul movement, Park said, “My father composed Saemaeul songs and wrote lyrics while he was recuperating from a fall he suffered after finishing his morning shower one day.”

Meanwhile, in a special lecture to third-year student examinees in Busan Namil High School at Kukje Shinmun building in Busan, former mayor Lee said, “Building a cross-country canal will offer jobs to people in their 50s and 60s,” and claimed that transnational canal project will set the ground for Korea to promote national unity and balanced regional development and to have its second rapid economic growth.

Lee said, “There is much criticism about my plan even though it is for the country,” and added, “I feel so sad. People should recognize other peoples’ works and achievements.”

In a statement, Lee’s side said that two netizens, who distributed false information on the military service issue of Lee and his son Lee Si-hyung (28) online, were charged by the Seoul District Prosecutors’ Office.

Lee’s side made public the certificate of military registration of two Lees and said, “Former mayor Lee volunteered for military service in Nonsan Training Camp in August 1963 but was exempted from service due to a disease found in physical check-up and reexamination, and his son joined in 1999 and served his time in a forward unit in the army and was discharged.”

jkmas@donga.com