Ruling party asks Park to discipline aides

By Jun Ji-hye

Ruling Saenuri Party Chairman Hwang Woo-yea speaks on his one-year anniversary at the party building, Tuesday. / Yonhap

Ruling Saenuri Party Chairman Hwang Woo-yea asked President Park Geun-hye to overhaul the way her top lieutenants are appointed, Tuesday. His request came as Cheong Wa Dae is embroiled in a sexual abuse case involving former presidential spokesman Yoon Chang-jung.

“For the success of the Park Geun-hye administration, we need to change the appointment system. Then the reformation of politics and parties should follow to create an era in which people are happy,” said Hwang during a meeting with the President at Cheong Wa Dae.

He also called on the government to set up an appropriate system to collect talented people from various areas and thoroughly verify their credentials before officially appointing them as top ranking officials.

Park avoided direct mention of the matter, only saying, “I thank you for helping me manage national administration, including the National Assembly’s approval of a 17.3 trillion won ($15.8 billion) supplementary budget, while I was visiting the United States.”

President Park, however, empathized with Hwang’s emphasis on the need to tighten discipline among government officials.

“I realized a lot of things from the Yoon incident. I will definitely enforce strict discipline among government employees,” Park was quoted as saying by Hwang.

Hwang added he proposed an inspection of duties at senior secretaries’ offices.

Yoon was fired last week over allegations he sexually harassed and abused a 21-year-old Korean-American intern recruited to assist him during Park’s first official U.S. visit.

President Park also expressed desire to push a plan to hold regular bipartisan meetings of national leaders.

“I promised to establish joint regular meetings during the presidential election. I have talked about the issue with many politicians as well. It is about time we forge ahead with the plan,” she said.

When the presidential poll was looming last year, then ruling party candidate Park had proposed holding such meetings regularly to discuss pending issues and seek bipartisan cooperation.

Park asked Hwang to offer good suggestions and a meeting agenda, the presidential office said.

The first regular monthly meeting between the two since Park’s inauguration took place following a request Hwang made in March, according to presidential spokeswoman Kim Haing.

At the time Hwang proposed the meeting, he stated it was a measure to settle controversy regarding Park’s non-communicative reputation and a serious of failures of ministerial appointments resulting in six nominees withdrawing.

Park’s decision to hold the meeting following her apology a day earlier is construed as an attempt to resolve matters raised by the Yoon scandal at the earliest possible date, and normalize the management of state affairs.

Hours before meeting President Park, Hwang told reporters: “I am aware of the severity of the situation and the public’s concern. I will sincerely deliver these messages to the president.”

Speaking at a press conference to commemorate his first anniversary as chairman at the party’s headquarters in downtown Seoul, he said: “Personnel management is the most significant matter. As it is just the initial stage of the administration, the government will have to let the unprecedented event involving Yoon be a good lesson. The Saenuri Party also feels responsibility. We will do our best to systemize a proper method to select people,” he said.