President-elect Park Geun-hye called on lawmakers Monday to concentrate on issues that can improve the people's livelihoods.
Attending a general meeting of ruling Saenuri Party lawmakers at the National Assembly, the 60-year-old who will take office on Feb. 25 as the country's first woman president said she will respect parliament and work with all parties to open a new era for South Korea.
"I will join forces with both the ruling and opposition parties and strive to herald the start of a new era," she said, adding that by following through on the key principle of striving for national unity and focusing on improving people's quality of life, all sides can work to enhance the happiness of the people.
She added that Saenuri must never forget that voters gave the conservative party an opportunity to run the country despite difficult challenges.
Park stressed that parliament should take firm steps to win back the trust of the people by concentrating on bread and butter issues.
The president-elect added that she will strive to listen to what people have to say down the road.
The politician who won five consecutive parliamentary elections on the conservative party ticket, meanwhile, thanked Saenuri lawmakers for the support they gave her in the past.
She gave up her parliamentary seat prior to the Dec. 19 presidential election and vowed to retire from politics altogether if she lost the race. (Yonhap)