Ugly Politics, Politicians
By Kim Jong-chan
A man phoned the Yeongdungpo Poilce Station in Seoul late last month and threatened to blow-up the National Assembly building. Presumed to be in his 40s, he complained that lawmakers' physical clashes in the National Assembly building angered him.
The man was quoted as saying, ``They (politicians) should take responsibility for the violence. Unless they do well in the coming days, I will blow it up.''
It was unthinkable that one side used a sledgehammer to break into a conference room from which members of the other side, who were locked in while deputies from both sides scuffled, retaliated by spraying fire extinguishers. It's nonsensical that lawmakers become lawbreakers.
The violent clashes, which ruined the nation, were among the ugliest chapters in the history of Korean politics.
Apparently mindful of the possible recurrence of similar situations in the future, the Assembly Secretariat replaced the damaged thick wooden doors of the conference room with ones made of iron.
Such ugliness was manifested again when Rep. Kang Ki-kab, chairman of the minor opposition Democratic Labor Party (DLP), visited the office of Assembly Secretariat Chief Park Kye-dong and jumped on the table in the office to protest Assembly security personnel's removal of DLP officials to end their sit-in in front of the main chamber, Monday. Kang also kicked the door to Speaker Kim Hyong-o's office.
Reasons for the extreme confrontation were clear. The approval of a motion to ratify the free trade agreement between South Korea and the United States before the end of the Assembly session was a particularly thorny issue, as large-scale rallies were held in Seoul last year against the resumption of imports of American beef.
Opposition parties have stressed the need for more relief programs to assist local farmers and companies, expected to suffer business losses if the trade pact goes into effect, before the ratification of the trade deal.
Another major bone of contention was whether newspaper companies and conglomerates should be allowed to own broadcasting networks.
Such extreme confrontation, caused by ``all-or-nothing" tactics, has fanned public apathy of politics. According to a recent survey conducted by Hangil Research, 61.6 percent of respondents said they support no political party, likewise, the number of people who are indifferent to politics and politicians has soared by as much as 24.4 percentage points since the economic downturn hit the country.
Experts attribute the increase to the incompetence of political leaders, particularly because the governing camp has failed to exercise sufficient leadership in resolving the political standoff but also because of its failure to reflect changes of the times in their policies.
People are believed to have withdrawn their support of any parties since none of them do enough to meet the demand for the ``politics of compromise.''
The 18th legislature has been idle since its inauguration seven months ago. Of about 2,600 bills submitted for approval, only 300, or 11.5 percent, have been advanced to the main floor for a final vote. Some 300 others were automatically abrogated at the end of last year in accordance with Assembly law.
Several days of physical clashes inside the Assembly building, which ended Tuesday, may have been caused by an ideological divide. President Lee Myung-bak, who won the election on the ticket of the conservative Grand National Party, took office about a year ago after 10 years of liberal governments.
Despite pressure from the governing party, Speaker Kim tried to remain neutral and refrained from using his authority to put disputed bills to a vote, paving the way for rival parties to reach a compromise to delay their passage for more deliberation after weeks of tedious negotiations.