Rival parties restart ideology war

By Kang Seung-woo

A controversy triggered by former Foreign Minister Song Min-soon’s memoir is turning into a massive ideological war with the ruling camp going all-out to attack possible opposition party presidential candidate Moon Jae-in.

Song, who served as the top diplomat for the liberal Roh Moo-hyun administration, wrote in his recently published book that the Roh government abstained from a 2007 United Nations resolution on North Korea’s human rights after consulting with Pyongyang, with Moon involved in the process. Moon was the presidential chief of staff at the time.

The book has dealt a blow to the former chairman of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) and potential presidential contender.

The ruling Saenuri Party, which has formed a task force to look into the case, held an emergency meeting and denounced Moon’s act as “treacherous” in an apparent attempt to hurt his reputation as a possible candidate.

“If what is written in the memoir is true, it would be an act of giving up South Korea’s sovereignty and apparently an act of treason," Saenuri Party floor leader Chung Jin-suk said in the meeting.

“We urge Moon to give a clear answer on whether he sought approval from Kim Jong-il before casting a veto on the U.N. resolution, and to stop prevaricating.”

Since the issue came to light last week, Moon has not clearly expressed his position on the issue.

The ruling party seems set to continue raising the issue for some time ― in the lead-up to the presidential election next year.

“It is a matter of the country’s credibility and a disgrace in the history of the nation’s diplomacy, so we will seek a fundamental solution to the matter,” said a ranking party official.

“If we continue to raise the issue, we expect testimony from the media or former diplomatic officials to come out.”

In response, the MPK is dismissing the ruling party’s moves as a political offensive to cover up influence-peddling scandals linked to President Park Geun-hye’s confidant Choi Soon-sil and her daughter Chung Yoo-ra.

“The Saenuri Party is looking to bash Moon over irrelevant ideology issues, which will not be successful,” floor leader Woo Sang-ho said during a party meeting.

“We need to ask ourselves whether the Korean Peninsula under President Park at present is safer than back when the two Koreans held continuous dialogue. The essence of the issue is there.”

Woo also said that although the Saenuri Party is slamming Moon’s ideological orientation, it would not succeed in burying the scandals surrounding the Mir and K-Sports foundations.

Rep. Park Jie-won, floor leader of the second-largest opposition People’s Party, urged the Saenuri Party to stop its attacks on Moon over ideology issues, threatening to reveal what was said between President Park and late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. In May 2002, when the President was the opposition leader, she visited Pyongyang and talked with Kim, father of current leader Kim Jong-un.

“I am well aware of what they discussed for four hours,” he said in the party meeting.

Rep. Park also urged Moon to speak up about the memoir.

Meanwhile, President Park, who has been in the hot seat amid mounting scandals surrounding her confidant, is expected to speak about the memoir following a meeting with her senior secretaries, Thursday.

Park abruptly postponed the meeting, originally scheduled for Monday, raising speculation that she bought time to seek countermeasures with the memoir against the opposition’s attacks on the scandals.

“As President Park has grabbed an opportunity to turn things around, she may have strategically put off the meeting to fully prepare for an offensive on Moon and the opposition,” said Yoon Hee-woong, a senior researcher at Opinion Live.

“As the President is losing her grip on state affairs, she is expected to criticize them to consolidate her traditional conservative advocacy group.”

According to a poll last week by Gallup Korea, Park’s approval rating has fallen to a record low 26 percent.