Won Hye-young, left, floor leader of the largest opposition United Democratic Party, answers reporters’ questions while his counterpart Hong Joon-pyo of the governing Grand National Party listens, before their talks at the National Assembly in Yeoido, Seoul, Thursday. / Yonhap |
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
Co-Chairman Sohn Hak-kyu of the largest opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) is facing a tough choice, which is testing his leadership.
Sohn is being asked to decide between two options: he could ask party members to collaborate with the governing Grand National Party (GNP) for the inauguration of the National Assembly whose four-year term began May 30, or he could keep dismissing the call to discuss kitchen-table issues in the legislature.
The opposition has boycotted the inauguration of the legislature, demanding that the government renegotiate the beef imports deal with the United States.
Neither of the options, however, seem to be perfect for Sohn to take, as both are likely to take their toll.
If Sohn keeps boycotting the inaugural session, it will be unavoidable for the UDP to be criticized for being negligent in dealing with issues affecting working-class families at a time of soaring oil prices and inflation.
The GNP is pressing the opposition party to work with it in the Assembly to address these matters.
GNP Chairman Kang Jae-sup urged UDP legislators to be cooperative, arguing, ``The Assembly should not be regarded as a venue for infighting, and partisan interests should not be sought at the expense of the livelihood of working-class families.''
Another core factor plunging the UDP into trouble is the mounting criticism from both insiders as well as outsiders regarding the limited role it is playing in dealing with the beef imports issue.
In a statement Thursday, a group of 16 former and incumbent UDP lawmakers said, ``The largest opposition party was nowhere in the rallies calling for a ban on imports of American beef cuts that are suspected of being infected with mad cow disease.
``There are rising worries among the people over threats in their lives such as rising oil prices, inflation and derailed public education. Working- and middle-class citizens are struggling to deal with these problems, but the UDP has not been successful in addressing these kitchen-table issues to produce policy packages,'' said the statement.
Some bloggers called the UDP ``a free rider'' attempting to share the hard-won political outcome of the government's pledge to seek additional efforts to make substantial changes in the beef deal, which was largely attributable to the anti-U.S. beef rallies.
Apparently convinced that boycotting the inauguration of the Assembly would come at a price, UDP floor leader Won Hye-young sat down with his GNP counterpart Hong Joon-pyo to discuss matters, Thursday. But the meeting was unsuccessful as the two sides identified the deep schism in their stances on when and how to activate the unicameral legislature.
Hong argued the UDP should collaborate with the ruling party in first inaugurating the Assembly and then the governing party would discuss a bill on infectious diseases in cattle as the UDP wishes.
Won, however, said the GNP should agree on the need for handling the bill first and then the UDP would work with the governing party.
He indicated that his party could consider cooperating in the inauguration of the Assembly, by saying that it would wait and see the results of a hearing Friday on the revision of the law governing infectious diseases in cattle.
hkang@koreatimes.co.kr
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yistory@koreatimes.co.kr
