Park denies dominating decisions

By Lee Tae-hoon

Rep. Park Geun-hye, the frontrunner presidential hopeful of the ruling Saenuri Party, Monday refuted mounting claims that she has been monopolizing the decision-making procedure of her conservative party.

“I didn’t gain anything from it and it is wrong to say I have been controlling the party for my own gain,” she said at a forum hosted by the Korea News Editors’ Association.

Park has been under criticism for allegedly “controlling” Saenuri lawmakers since her party lawmakers abruptly changed their stance apparently affected by her remarks on July 13.

She told reporters in the corridor of the National Assembly ahead of a general meeting of lawmakers that Rep. Chung Doo-un, a three-term lawmaker of the Saenuri Party, should leave the party for being embroiled in a corruption scandal.

Park also noted that the Saenuri Party’s floor leader Lee Hahn-koo, who offered to step down for the failure to strip Rep. Chung of immunity from physical detention, should retain his post until the July parliamentary session comes to an end.

The presidential contender made no such remarks at the ensuring meeting of lawmakers.

Nevertheless, many of her faithful followers checked their smartphones in an attempt to allegedly receive “a set of instructions given by Park” at the corridor by viewing online news or text messages.

As many forecast, the Saenuri Party at the meeting passed resolutions that call for Rep. Chung’s withdrawal from the party and Rep. Lee’s withdrawal of his resignation until the July parliamentary session ends, both of which Rep. Park desired.

In this regard, Rep. Nam Kyung-pil of the Saenuri Party urged Rep. Park to stop disabling his fellow lawmakers through informal remarks made to reporters in the corridor of the Assembly.

“It is not appropriate to deliver such messages in the corridor,” the five term lawmaker said. “I’d like her to participate in discussions with other legislators and respect a conclusion based on a consensus.”

Other lawmakers of both ruling and opposition parties also expressed concern over Park’s monopolization of the conservative party’s decision-making process, some even labeling her as an autocrat.

Park, however, argued that she has never meant to exert undue influence over her fellow lawmakers.

She claimed that her party decided to urge disgraced lawmaker Chung to bolt from the party while keeping floor leader Lee because it wants to correct its own mistakes, rather than due to her puppeteering.

“The decision (at the meeting of lawmakers on July 13) was made by me and all other lawmakers who have realized that our party made the wrong decision and should seek an apology from the people,’’ Park said.

Meanwhile, Lee called to end any preferential treatment of lawmakers accused of breaking the law, such as the decades-old policy of immunity from arrest while the parliament is in session, stressing that the law should be enforced equally on everyone.

Observers say his appeals can be seen as an attempt to appease public outrage over the Saenuri Party’s failure to pass the detention motion for Rep. Chung Doo-un last week.

The rejection was seen as a slap in the face of voters, as it ran counter to the Saenuri Party's earlier pledge to do away with privileges granted to lawmakers, including their immunity from physical detention, as part of parliamentary reform efforts.