Kang Seung-woo is the Business Desk editor at The Korea Times. Prior to this position, he covered politics, national affairs, finance and sports.
Park uses brinkmanship with feminine touch
By Kang Seung-woo
President-elect Park Geun-hye
By Kang Seung-woo
With just eight days away from her inauguration, President-elect Park Geun-hye is pursuing a two-track strategy to get the nod from opposition parties for her government reorganization plan for the start of the new administration on time.
Park, often criticized for lack of communication, is making efforts to communicate with counterparts by personally calling opposition leaders to request cooperation for the passage of the controversial reorganization bill on Friday. Her unusual plead even drew praise from senior members of the opposition camp.
However, in less than two days after she sought help from her foes, she pushed ahead on Sunday with the nomination of the chiefs for two ministries originally planned to be announced after the bill is passed at the National Assembly.
Park’s government reorganization proposal includes the creation of two new bodies _ the Ministry of Future Creative Science and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.
But her plan has been deadlocked as the ruling Saenuri Party would like to see Park’s proposal remain intact, while the Democratic United Party (DUP) has called for changes that include retaining the ministry of education and science instead of creating a separate ministry for science and technology and setting up a new organization to deal with trade negotiations rather than giving the responsibility to the commerce ministry.
The “surprise” nomination comes as there are growing concerns over whether Park can form her administration on time, because her Cabinet selections as well as the government reorganization proposal have been postponed.
Park will take office on Feb. 25.
Mindful of the worries, Kim Yong-joon, chairman of the transition committee, said that the government reorganization plan has to be quickly passed at the National Assembly.
“The delay may prevent Park from starting with a full Cabinet, and it is negatively affecting her administration’s organizational layout,” Kim said Sunday.
The DUP called the nomination “regrettable,” saying that Park was trying to make discussions about her proposal “non-negotiable.”
DUP floor leader Park Ki-choon and his Saenuri Party counterpart Lee Hahn-koo sat down Sunday to narrow their differences on the incoming administration’s plan.
“The nomination is like forcing the opposition party to raise the white flag,” Park told reporters at the National Assembly on the same day.
“In addition, the President-elect is just focusing on retaining the original plan, so those responsible for the negotiations at the Saenuri Party are not budging. She had better let them have negotiating authority.”
On Friday, Park called DUP Interim Chairman Moon Hee-sang and its floor leader and asked the main opposition party to participate in a joint effort to pass her government reorganization proposal.
“I earnestly asked for help to pass the government reorganization proposal by Moon viewing it from the perspective of the people,” Park said during a policy discussion with the women’s and cultural affairs subcommittee of her transition team.
In response to the call, Moon said Park’s appeal was an important step in trying to communicate with the opposition.
President-elect Park named Hyun Oh-seok, the chief of the state-run Korean Development Institute (KDI), as the deputy prime minister. Park also named North Korean expert Ryoo Kihl-jae as unification minister and Kim Jeong-hoon, an engineering expert and successful businessman, was nominated to head the newly created ministry of future creation and science.
Yoon Sang-jick was designated as commerce minister; Lee Dong-phil as agriculture minister; Chin Young as welfare minister; Yoon Seong-kyu as environment minister; Phang Ha-nam as labor minister; Cho Yoon-sun as gender equality minister; Suh Seoung-hwan as land minister; and Yoon Jin-sook as maritime affairs minister.