Verbal abuse gets DP into trouble

Rep. Hong Ik-pyo

By Jun Ji-hye

“President Park Geun-hye and her father Park Chung-hee should not have been born,” said Rep. Hong Ihk-pyo.

“Governor Hong Joon-pyo of South Gyeongsang Province is no different from Adolf Hitler,” said Rep. Kim Kyung-hyub.

These are bold statements that members of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) have recently said.

The ruling Saenuri Party and the DP have recently been going head to head over matters related to the National Intelligence Service’s (NIS) meddling in the Dec. 19 presidential election and late President Roh Moo-hyun’s comments on the Northern Limit Line (NLL).

The National Assembly investigation into the NIS is underway. The parties are set to view and disclose the original records of the 2007 inter-Korean summit to check whether or not Roh disavowed the nation’s sea border.

However, the comments made by the DP members provided fodder for the ruling party to attack the opposition. And this apparently tarnished the key issue that the DP itself has stressed ― reformation of the NIS.

Rep. Hong, a former DP spokesman, dubbed President Park as offspring of “gwitae,” or babies born to ghosts, Thursday, while he criticized the NIS head Nam Jae-joon who released a statement claiming late Roh negated the NLL.

Following remonstrance from Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling party that boycotted all Assembly engagements, Hong stepped down from the position and DP Chairman Kim Han-gil expressed his regret.

A Saturday forum of the Assembly special committee investigating the Jinju Medical Center’s shut down was the first joint meeting of the two parties after floor leaders agreed to normalize the Assembly.

During the meeting, Rep. Kim Kyung-hyub described Governor Hong’s decision to close the public hospital as like that of German dictator Hitler’s genocide of the Jews, angering ruling party members. Hong is a seasoned conservative politician of the ruling party.

The meeting was unable to function properly due to Saenuri Party members’ complaints. DP members had to apologize again to complete a task to draw up a joint report of the investigation results.

A day later Rep. Lee Hae-chan, former DP chairman, caused a huge stir again by saying, “The family of President Park has an indestructible relationship with the spy agency as late Park was assassinated by then head of the agency, (which intervened in last year’s presidential election).”

He made controversial comments while talking about the NIS reform in Sejong City, Sunday.

“If Park keeps lying and protecting the NIS, more and more figures will insist on the invalidity of Park’s election,” added Lee who served as prime minister under late Roh’s administration.

The ruling party went all out to criticize Lee’s comment Monday, calling it grand finale of the DP’s rough comments.

“It is very regrettable that the DP does not seem to sufficiently reflect their wrongdoings. The DP must stop dropping improper remarks that hinder the Assembly development,” said Choi Kyung-hwan, Saenuri floor leader.

Rep. Hong Moon-jong, Saenuri secretary general, said: “DP members’ words insult the head of state as well as damage national prestige. I urge the opposition party to stop its political offense and to participate on improving people’s livelihood.”

Political analyst Lee Kang-yun said strong remarks could give some satisfaction to their support base only for a little while, but at the same time make the opponents’ side united more intensively.

“If DP members made bad comments with no intention, it was unwise behavior. If they had some intention, it was a strategic failure. These are because rival parties these days are clashing over some sensitive issues and, in this stage, even a small mistake could change the situation,” said Lee.

Lee said “unnecessary comments” caused controversy and this put the NIS issue out of the discussion.

“As a main opposition party, the DP is responsible for properly playing a role in reforming the NIS to prevent the agency from intervening in political scene. It was the DP itself that screwed up such a significant task.”