‘Only sincere people should be elected,` says Pres. Park

"I urge you to ensure those who are sincere to the Korean people are elected. I wish that people step forward to ensure that the National Assembly will truly work to benefit people’s livelihoods, and push to implement bills that are directly related to people without doubt,” the president told a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office on Tuesday. “If bills are automatically discarded because the 19th National Assembly disregards them, the public will never forgive the assembly.” She has raised the possibility of "(public) judgment through the general elections" over continued delays in parliamentary deliberation of bills on four major reforms including labor reform, and those bills aimed at reviving the economy.

President Park criticized the opposition parties` disregarding the National Assembly as an act of taking people’s livelihoods and the Korean economy as hostages. “It is lamentable to see that my repeated requests to the National Assembly to pass bills at every single Cabinet meeting only face deaf ears,” said the president. “Despite claiming it is working for people’s livelihoods every day, the fact that all bills meant to help people’s livelihoods have remained stalled at the Assembly according to political controversy and interests. It is testament to the situation that opposition lawmakers don’t care about people and people’s livelihoods.”

President Park’s remarks are interpreted as her pressure on the opposition parties that have suspended parliamentary schedules by raising issue with the government’s plan to publish state history textbooks. She apparently seeks to highlight the political structure of "people’s livelihoods versus anti people’s livelihoods” by contrasting forces that spearhead the adoption of four major reforms and economic recovery and forces that take the National Assembly as hostage.

Park’s message on "judgment through general elections" is linked with her labeling of former ruling Saenuri Party floor leader Yoo Seung-min as "politics of betrayal" in June. At the time, Park said, “We have to ensure that only those who implement politics that put people at the center can exist and survive.”

“Current history textbooks are describing Korea’s modern history as unjust history, and negatively portraying it,” the president talked about the planned publishing of state history textbooks.“If people do not learn accurate history, their spirit will inevitably become abnormal.”

“Her remarks constitute open interfering with elections to cause opposition party lawmakers who are opposed to her to lose elections," said Kim Seong-soo, spokesman of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy. "None other than her own remarks are an act that disregards people’s livelihoods and dumps administration of state affairs.”

Meanwhile, the ruling and opposition parties attempted to make last-minute efforts to hammer out differences three days ahead of the legal deadline for finalizing electoral districts that will be applied in the April 2016 general elections, but failed to reach compromise.

mhpark@donga.com