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| Rep. Hwang Woo-yea, chairman of the ruling Saenuri Party, speaks during his new year press conference at the party's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, Tuesday. / Yonhap |
By Jun Ji-hye
Rep. Hwang Woo-yea, chairman of the ruling Saenuri Party, said Tuesday that unification between the two Koreas would create a new growth engine for their economies.
His remark came a week after President Park Geun-hye likened unification to hitting the jackpot during her New Year press conference.
In his New Year press conference, Hwang also said the ruling party will increase research into unification between the two Koreas and reorganize the party to concentrate on what measures would need to be taken to enable the process.
"The governing party will strengthen the role of an internal unification committee that was set up earlier," said Hwang. "We will also set up a unification research center in the Yeouido Institute (YDI) to study what would constitute a potential Constitution for a unified Korea."
The YDI is a policy think tank of the governing camp.
He pledged to push for legislation of the North Korean Human Rights Law in February.
The chairman said his party will actively support North Korean defectors so that they can act as mediators between the two Koreas. Hwang cited the passing of a law to improve human rights and living conditions of North Koreans as a short term measure.
"Pyongyang's human rights issue should not be neglected because such rights are universal values for all human beings. A law to institute systems to improve human rights and boost relevant activities is definitely necessary," said Hwang.
Citing a suggestion from his main opposition Democratic Party (DP) counterpart Rep. Kim Han-gil for a similar law the previous day, Hwang called on the DP to cooperate on the legislation in February.
He added that the governing side will look closely into sudden changes in the reclusive state to accomplish the goal of denuclearization.
Democratization of economy
As for the economic issues, Hwang said that the ruling party has a joint responsibility with the Park government to ensure the success of the administration's policies.
He said the nation should lay the groundwork for democratizing the economy, a key election pledge made by President Park, to vitalize the nation.
"The biggest concerns of the Park government are economic issues. However, the nation should not solely focus on these activities because the economy will only develop in a sustainable way on the basis of economic democratization," he said.
In support of the government's move to reform public organizations, the chairman said he will set up the economy reform committee within the party.
"We will place two subcommittees under the economy committee ― one for public enterprise reform and the other for regulatory reform. We will definitely achieve some results," he said.
With regard to recent controversy over the government's alleged plan to privatize medical services, Hwang made it clear that the introduction of telemedicine and allowing hospitals to run for-profit subsidiaries were not related to privatization.
"The measures were designed to improve management of the hospitals to eventually protect national health services. The government's plan is not related to increases in medical expenses either," he said.
Hwang added that the ruling party will set up a public health special committee to consider ways of developing health and medical treatment services.
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