By Jun Ji-hye
Three months into his term of office, Prime Minister Chung Hong-won has rarely contributed to disputes regarding domestic affairs.
His apparent reticence and lack of capability as a mediator could create a burden for administration of President Park Geun-hye, analysts said.
Park pledged that there will be a “responsible prime minister”, with increased powers so that those holding the office can have greater involvement in all aspects of domestic affairs.
However, Chung has, so far, fallen far short of this objective.
He has not effectively intervened in disputes regarding key issues such as the planned closure of the Jinju Medical Center and the construction of high-voltage transmission cable towers in Miryang, the cause of a fierce dispute between residents of the southeastern city and Korea Electric Power Corp.
This is in sharp contrast to the actions of former prime ministers. Goh Kun, who served in the administration of the late Roh Moo-hyun, and Kim Hwang-sik from Lee Myung-bak’s government both became heavily engaged in issues of the day, such as a truck drivers strike in 2003 and the construction of the Jeju naval base in 2012, respectively.
Chung’s lack of ability as second-in-command in the current administration is already weighing down on President Park.
Bae Jong-chan, a director of Research and Research, attributed Chung’s inactivity to the fact that he was a follow-up nominee to replace Kim Yong-joon, who was initially nominated but had to withdraw under pressure because of various ethical failings allegations.
“Plus, he previously worked at the Saenuri Party as a chairman of party’s nomination committee. This weakens Chung’s hold on power over such heavyweight ministers as Yoo Jeong-bok of the public administration ministry and Chin Young of the health and welfare ministry, who are also ruling party lawmakers,” said Bae.
He added that Park’s leadership style of seeking to control everything by herself has also rendered Chung relatively powerless.
“Park needs to decentralize state affairs and entrust Chung with some parts of those with respect for his decision making, otherwise this situation will continue over a long period of time. Eventually, Park will have to take all the responsibilities, which is no good,” he said.