By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
Former Grand National Party (GNP) Chairwoman Park Geun-hye criticized President Lee Myung-bak Wednesday for his remarks a day earlier that he would only support "hard-working" people, allegedly showing his displeasure with Park's opposition to his administration's Sejong City plan.
During his visit to Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, Lee called for national unity to tackle growing global competition, saying, "When a burglar breaks into a house, family members should unite together to safeguard themselves, even if they hate each other."
Lee also said he would only back those who work hard, indicating his support for Prime Minister Chung Un-chan, who has led efforts to revise the Sejong project.
Park's supporters alleged Lee was voicing his complaints about the former chairwoman, who has criticized the government over the plan.
"The public will know who the hard-working people are," Park told reporters Wednesday. "As Lee said, the family should unite together to fight the burglar. But what if one of the family members becomes the burglar?"
Cheong Wa Dae said Lee didn't have Park in mind when he made the statement Tuesday.
However, the divide between Lee's and Park's followers inside the governing party appears to be deepening.
Park has warned that the government will end up losing credibility because it broke a promise to the people, while the administration is seeking to broaden public support for the revised Sejong plan amid fierce protests from the opposition parties.
The bill on the revised plan is expected to be put to a vote at a National Assembly session in April. However, GNP lawmakers didn't rule out the possibility that the situation could worsen unless the GNP factions reach a compromise.
The GNP holds 169 seats in the 299-member legislature. If the rival factions unite together, the governing party will secure a majority of votes to pass the bill.
However, former Chairwoman Park has opposed the revision, dimming the prospects for an early passage.
The main opposition Democratic Party and three other minor parties agreed Monday to submit a motion to oust the prime minister, while boycotting any dialogue with the governing party over the plan.
They have called on President Lee to drop the alternative project and implement the original administrative town project.
jj@koreatimes.co.kr
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