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The ruling Saenuri Party presidential candidate Park Geun-hye’s recent efforts to promote national unity hit a setback this week due to heated debate over the Yushin Constitution, an amendment to the national statute in 1972 by her father, the late President Park Chung-hee.
The dispute further escalated due to statements by pro-Park figures, eulogizing the incident.
Park’s father, who served as military junta leader for two years after the 1961 coup and became president in 1963, announced a presidential decree in October 1972 to establish the notorious Yushin regime.
The Yushin regime is what the daughter of the late President Park regards as the most sensitive issue in the upcoming presidential election.
Hong Sa-duk, co-chairman of Park Geun-hye’s election campaign committe, told the press Wednesday that “Park Chung-hee conducted the Yushin system to help the country’s exports go beyond $10 billion, not to seize power.” The remark immediately drew fire because it was taken to glamorize the regime.
Hong’s comments drew criticism even from pro-Park factions. Lee Sang-don, a member of Saenuri’s political reforms special committee, said, “The Yushin constitution did not guarantee people’s fundamental human rights as well as it did not follow the rules of the separation of powers. There were many human rights violations during the regime. Hong should realize that it was a slip of his tongue.”
Lee Jun-seok, former member of the emergency committee, also mentioned in his appearance on PBC radio that “It is a serious problem to deny constitutional values in order to support export achievements.”
Anti-Park figures raised their voices in criticism as well. Rep. Chung Mong-joon, one of the sons of Hyundai Group’s founder Chung Ju-young, tweeted Thursday, “Hong’s comments are very disappointing. The idea of the Yushin regime was that people only become happy if they are able to eat. They regarded the public as a happy pig. There was no democracy under the regime.”
Park initially planned to express her opinion on the 1961 coup and Yushin regime after the opposition party picks its presidential candidate and intensifies attacks on her father’s deeds. Park will likely advance her plan.
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