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| President Park Geun-hye attends a policy coordination meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday. Her recent visits to Daegu and Busan are creating a controversy over alleged meddling in the general election. / Yonhap |
By Kang Seung-woo
President Park Geun-hye's recent visits to Daegu and Busan, strongholds of the ruling Saenuri Party, are creating a controversy over alleged meddling in the April 13 general election.
Critics say her visits at this sensitive time could be interpreted as rallying support for her loyalists who are running or seeking to run in the cities, although she made no controversial remarks there.
Cheong Wa Dae denied the suspicion that she is exerting influence on the ruling party's primaries and the election, saying her trips were related to economic issues, not politics.
Park inspected the achievements of the Centers for Creative Economy and Innovation in the cities.
But she also visited three districts in Busan, where her loyalists, including former Maritime Minister Yoo Ki-june, are participating in the party's primaries to win tickets.
She earlier called on people to choose "sincere people," widely seen as encouragement for her loyalists, as she needs her aides to win parliamentary seats for a stable administration of state affairs during her remaining tenure.
"The trip to Busan could invite misunderstanding," said Bae Jong-chan, the chief director at political pollster Research and Research.
"Although the visit is official and independent from the general election, it could influence voters' preference for candidates, if they regard it as a message from the President."
Choi Chang-ryol, a politics professor at Yongin University, said in a media interview, "It does not make sense that she visited Busan at such a sensitive time."
The opposition bloc accused President Park of obvious election meddling.
"After visiting Daegu, her trip to Busan was aimed at signaling that President Park supports her loyalists in the primaries and the election," said Minjoo Party of Korea spokesman Kim Sung-soo.
"It seems inappropriate that the President is focused on the election, putting aside the struggling economy and state affairs."
The minor opposition People's Party also said that her move was to overcome a looming intra-party feud over the nominations process.
"Despite the brouhaha within the party, her visit was to support so-called pro-Park candidates," party spokesman Kim Jung-hyun said, urging the presidential office to stop intervening in the election.
The opposition side also claimed that it may breach the Election Law that prohibits public officials from using their influence in elections.
"President Park's visits may actually be influential in the election, but she did not make official remarks related to it, thus abiding by the Election Law," Bae said.
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