Outgoing Lawmaker Says Think Big, Act Now
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
The political landscape created by the April 9 elections sent a clear message to former Grand National Party (GNP) Chairwoman Park Geun-hye: It is time to move on, according to an outgoing conservative lawmaker.
In a collection of autobiographical essays titled ``Goodbye Yeouido: A Never Ending Story of Authentic Conservative Kim Yong-kab,'' three-term lawmaker Kim, 72, claimed the people gave Rep. Park a public mandate to ``think big and act now.''
Kim, a supporter of the former GNP chairwoman, is leaving politics in May when the four-year term of the 17th National Assembly ends. The conservative hardliner declared early this year that he would retire from politics, not seeking re-election in the April polls.
``Voters gave Park a solid support base. The election results are a reflection of public perception that she was deceived (by President Lee Myung-bak) and so were the people,'' Kim said.
``Now, Park has about 50 supporters in total inside and outside the governing party. With her solid support base, she needs to be reborn as a tough leader. It is time for Park to play a decisive political card that will determine her future political career,'' the lawmaker said.
Kim did not say what he meant by the suggestion, but said Park is presidential material.
There is no doubt that Kim is a consistent conservative legislator. When it comes to a label describing his political orientation, however, there is a deep gap between how he describes himself and what he's called by his opponents.
Kim portrayed himself as ``an authentic conservative,'' while many describe him as ``a hardcore or extreme conservative politician.''
He admitted in his book that he has received what he called ``countless groundless criticism as well as undeserved allegations'' for his unique political posture toward North Korea over his 12 years in parliament.
The incident that caused his opponents to paint him a hardcore conservative occurred in 2000 when former President Kim Dae-jung was in office.
The liberal President, architect of the Sunshine Policy, a strong level of engagement policy toward Pyongyang, offered several policy packages to help move the North Korean economy forward.
Kim, a former military leader, called the liberal government ``an ally of the North Korean communist party.'' His contentious characterization had a profound impact on the public's perception of the lawmaker.
He confessed his conservative fervor never helped him in terms of votes or material well-being.
But he said he never gave up his conservative beliefs because ``being principled or being consistent under any circumstances'' is a guiding light, especially when the stakes are high.
His aide told The Korea Times that the outgoing lawmaker will take care of his wife, who suffered a stroke 10 years ago, and has no plan to work in the private or civil sectors after retirement.