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| Rep. Choo Mi-ae celebrates after being elected as the Minjoo Party of Korea's new leader. / Yonhap |
Choo wants to avoid US-China clash on peninsula
By Kim Hyo-jinThe main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) is predicted to take a hard-line stance against the country hosting the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, as Rep. Choo Mi-ae has become the party chairwoman.Her leadership is raising the prospect of political wrangling over the deployment of the U.S. anti-missile defense system with the ruling Saenuri Party.On Saturday, Choo, a five-term lawmaker whose district is in eastern Seoul, was elected as the new chairwoman to replace Kim Chong-in, the party's interim head who has been maintaining an overall neutral political stance.Choo vowed during the chairmanship race to officially oppose the government's decision to deploy a THAAD battery on Korean soil."I will make opposition to the THAAD battery the party's official position," she said in an acceptance speech after the ballot, Saturday, reiterating her stance against the anti-missile system. "We cannot let China and the U.S. clash on the Korean Peninsula."The Saenuri Party, which claims the missile defense system is integral to defending South Korea against Pyongyang's evolving nuclear and missile threats, responded immediately, expressing concerns over her opposition.Rep. Kim Young-woo, a Saenuri Party lawmaker who chairs the Assembly's National Defense Committee, criticized the new opposition leader for downplaying security threats posed by North Korea."Choo should clarify what can be a countermeasure against North Korea's nuclear program and missiles if not a THAAD battery," he said during a press conference.Calling on Choo to withdraw the stance, Kim noted, "Our security is at a critical stage but debate remains unproductive due to partisan wrangling and a not-in-my backyard attitude."Replacing her predecessor Kim Chong-in, Choo signaled that she will make progressive-leaning changes in the party's major policies other than THAAD.The party will take a tougher stance against the ruling Saenuri Party in Assembly negotiations under her leadership, party insiders view."The biggest discontent of party members is that we have not acted properly as an opposition party. I faced calls from them to become more dogged," she told reporters after the election."I'm determined to make our party a strong opposition party. We will stand against the President if she ignores and manages state affairs singlehandedly against the public call. This is a way of winning the presidential election."She voiced strong support for revising the Sewol special law to extend the operation of an independent fact-finding committee set up following the sinking of the Sewol ferry that left 304 dead or missing.Opposition parties and victims' families have argued that the committee made little progress due to a lack of cooperation by the governing bloc and that the duration of the investigation be extended.But the ruling party remained adamant in its opposition to such a call, seeking to end the controversy over the disastrous incident. It views the committee was already dissolved in June under the current special law.During the chairmanship campaign, she vowed to push for economic democratization bills aiming at easing the income gap, redistributing cash reserves of conglomerates, and protecting subcontractors and non-regular workers treated unfairly by management. Moon followers take power Lawmakers and party members who support Moon Jae-in bagged key leadership positions at the national convention, Saturday.Choo garnered 54.03 percent of the votes, routing Rep. Lee Jong-kul, a former party floor leader and Kim Sang-gon, a former education superintendent of Gyeonggi Province with 23.89 and 22.08 percent of the votes, respectively. She reportedly gained the overwhelming support from the mainstream party members affiliated with Moon.Six out of eight newly elected Supreme Council members are also Moon loyalists. Yang Hyang-ja, a former Samsung Electronics executive, and Kim Byung-kwan, chairman of online game developer Webzen who entered politics before the general election in April this year, were recruited by Moon, then party chairman.The new leadership is expected to lay the groundwork for Moon's launching his presidential bid again in the 2017 race.Pundits say the party members appear to have elected Choo in hopes of a strong leadership in the run-up to the presidential election.Following the results, some party members expressed concerns that Moon's monopoly in the primary race could fail to attract the attention of voters.Conscious of their concern, Choo vowed to prepare for a fair primary contest with various presidential candidate hopefuls."I will stop the party from being divided into the mainstream Moon followers and those who do not follow him," she said. "I'm confident I can conduct the presidential primary fairly, together with Rep. Kim Boo-kyum, ex-Chairman Moon, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, former advisor Son Hak-gyu, South Chungcheong Governor Ahn Hee-jung, and Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung."Choo, the former judge and veteran lawmaker born in the southeastern city of Daegu, became the first chairwoman from the ruling party's stronghold in a main opposition party.She entered politics through the help of late President Kim Dae-jung and played a crucial role in the presidential campaign of late President Roh Moo-hyun.Her reputation was tainted among Roh followers, the MPK's mainstream faction, as she voted in favor of impeaching the President in 2004. But she reconciled with them successfully after she described it as the biggest mistake of her political career. 
더불어민주당의 새 수장이 된 추미애 대표가 '선명하고 강한 야당'을 표방하면서 향후 순탄치 않은 여야 관계를 예고했다.
특히 선명성 강화 등 '좌클릭'을 통해 김종인 체제와의 차별성을 시도할 것으로 보여 취임 초반부터 당내 갈등이 표출될 가능성도 없지 않다는 관측이다.
추 대표는 대표 확정 직후 '지금 정부는 잘못 가고 있다. 민생의 절박함을 외면하고 오로지 하수인 지키기에 급급하다'는 정세 인식을 드러내며 '대통령이 국민이 가라는 길을 외면하면 단호히 맞서겠다. 고난과 탄압이 있어도 그 길을 가야 선명하고 강한 야당이 되고 수권 비전을 만들 수 있다'고 강조했다.
김종인 체제와 별반 다를 게 없는 원칙적인 언급으로 해석됐지만, 선명성을 더욱 강화하겠다는 대목은 흘려 들을 수 없다는 게 정치권의 시각이다.
사드(THAAD·고고도미사일방어계획)와 세월호 특위 연장, 우병우 청와대 민정수석 및 이철성 경찰청장 문제 등 현안에 대해 야당으로서의 정체성을 더욱 분명히 해 대여 공세 수위를 올리겠다는 의미로 보는 시각이 대체적이다.
당장 추 대표는 '당론으로 뚜렷이 하겠다'며 사드 배치 반대를 당론으로 채택할 뜻을 분명히 했다.
이는 추 대표의 기존 입장을 재확인한 수준이지만 대표로서의 언급이라는 점에서 그 말이 갖는 무게감은 확연히 다르다.
한반도 사드 배치를 반대하는 소속 의원들이 적지 않음에도 김종인 체제에서는 '전략적 모호성'이란 명분에 따라 그 어떤 입장도 공식화하지 않았다. 정권교체 이후까지 내다본 전략이라는 게 당시 지도부의 생각이었다.
하지만 '한반도에서 중국과 미국이 충돌하게 해선 안 된다'는 추 대표의 언급에서 나타나듯 사드 배치가 국익에 이로울 게 없는 만큼 그 씨앗을 처음부터 잘라야 한다는 게 추 대표의 소신으로 보인다.
물론 정권교체의 막중한 짐을 짊어진 제1야당 당수로서 이를 실행에 옮길지는 두고 봐야 한다는 관측도 조심스레 제기된다. 대선을 앞두고 야당으로서의 선명성과 함께 중도층을 흡수하기 위한 외연 확장에도 신경 쓰지 않을 수 없기 때문이다.
여기에 사드 배치를 전제로 제3후보지 검토를 요청한 성주 군민의 입장 등을 감안하면 반대당론 채택이 부담으로 작용할 가능성도 없지 않다.
잠시 잠잠했던 정치권에서의 사드 논쟁이 재점화할 조짐도 보인다.
야당 당수로서의 추 대표의 사드에 대한 입장이 알려지자 새누리당 소속의 김영우 국회 국방위원장은 28일 기자회견을 열어 '절대로 안 될 일이다. 추 대표는 한반도 안보가 우선이라는 입장에서 사드 문제를 봐 달라'며 공세를 펼쳤다.
새 지도부에 친문(친문재인) 인사가 대거 포진한 것도 향후 추미애 체제가 '좌클릭'할 여지가 충분하다는 해석을 낳고 있다. 친문 세력이 상대적으로 대여 강경 노선을 견지하고 있다는 이유에서다.
최고위원 8명 중 지역별 최고위원인 김영주·전해철·심기준·최인호 최고위원과 양향자 여성 최고위원, 김병관 청년 최고위원 등 6명이 친문 인사로 분류되고, 나머지 두 명 역시 친문에 가깝다는 평이다.
하지만 추 대표의 언급처럼 더민주가 수권정당을 지향한다는 점에서 여권과 마냥 등을 돌리고 싸우지만은 않을 것이라는 당 안팎의 시각도 없지 않다.
추 대표도 '강단 있게 그러나 민생을 위해 협조할 것은 하겠다'고 말했다.
일단 야당으로서의 정체성 강화에 방점을 찍은 추 대표가 대선 정국을 맞아 대여 관계 정립과 중도층 포용을 위한 전략을 어떻게 구사할지 주목된다. (연합뉴스)
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