Pres. Lee`s talks with ruling party candidate

President Lee Myung-bak and the ruling party`s presidential candidate Park Geun-hye had a luncheon meeting Sunday at the presidential office for 100 minutes, their first one-on-one talks in eight months. They discussed a series of recent issues such as the economy, the brutal rape of a girl in Naju, South Jeolla Province, and the damage caused by the last week’s typhoon. Though Park said she was just making a customary visit as the presidential candidate of the ruling party, it was still unusual for a president to speak to the party`s candidate just 100 days before a presidential election.

Both President Lee and Park as well as their respective confidants became at odds with each other in 2007 in the course of the party primaries for president. Their strained relations continued even after Lee took office as the two sides clashed over major policies, including the relocation of government bodies to Sejong City. Lee once said he could not believe Park was a member of his party.

As President Lee’s approval rate has plunged, opposition parties came up with a plan to attack Park by linking Park with Lee when criticizing the president. To counter this, certain ruling party members asked the president to leave the party so that the party’s image would not be overlapped with the image of the incumbent administration. Strained ties between the president and the ruling party’s presidential candidate ahead of a presidential election, however, will not help the party win in the December election. In 1997, the tension between President Kim Young-sam and the party`s standard-bearer Lee Hoi-chang negatively affected the election. Park’s one-on-one meeting with President Lee could be viewed as the first step toward uniting the ruling party. This meeting might lead Park to embrace other party factions including those led by Reps. Chung Mong-joon and Lee Jae-oh.

Since the country became a democracy in 1987, all of its presidents have been forced to leave their parties in the lame duck period due to sour relations with their parties. In the history of the U.S. presidential system, no president has been asked to leave his party while in office simply because he grew unpopular. The president’s bolt from his or her party is an act that denies the political responsibilities of the ruling party. Taking this opportunity, such a practice should be eliminated.

The global economy is so vulnerable that no one can predict who will be the next victim. The Korean economy also faces a variety of potential risks. This year’s National Assembly commences Monday. Though the presidential election is fast approaching, both the government and the legislature must focus on their basic tasks such as maintaining fiscal soundness and tackling public issues.

President Lee and Park also should pour their energy into restoring cooperative relations between the administration and the ruling party for the sake of state affairs. The chief executive should also ensure fairness in the presidential election. Any attempt by a president to manipulate the election will not only adversely affect the ruling party, but also invite a harsh backlash and bad karma. The main opposition Democratic United Party will elect its presidential candidate at the end of this month. President Lee might need to discuss with the presidential candidate of the opposition party opinions on presidential neutrality in the election and measures to ensure a fair election.