By Kim Hyo-jin
The main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) harshly criticized the government, Monday, for trying to quell protests against the planned deployment of the High Terminal Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system by claiming that anti-government activists are leading the rallies.
Expressing concerns about the way the government responded to a recent rally held in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, which has been picked as the location for a THAAD battery, the party said the government’s move to crack down on protesters reminds it of the era of the “police state.”
The party’s interim leader Rep. Kim Chong-in urged President Park Geun-hye to apologize for causing social division with what he called a hasty announcement of the deployment.
The party is apparently toughening its stance on the Park administration’s handling of protesters in an effort to overcome criticism by other opposition parties and its supporters, who claimed the MPK remains ambiguous over the deployment of the anti-missile system.
The party has yet to decide its official position about the deployment while the minor opposition People’s Party has pressured it to join hands in nullifying the government’s decision.
“The government is attempting to evade its responsibility by launching an investigation of the protesters,” MPK spokesman Rep. Ki Dong-min told reporters. “It’s an outdated practice reminding people of the previous police state.”
Kim, who had remained lukewarm in response to the THAAD deployment, also joined in criticizing the government.
“I urge the government to refrain from giving the impression of being a police state,” Kim said during a party meeting. “The President should step up and calm the enraged public with an apology.”
Kim also insisted that Park should carry out extensive reshuffling in the government and the presidential office, taking responsibility for the public confusion and division.
The calls came after police said they launched an investigation of the protesters who used violence against Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn and Defense Minister Han Min-koo in a rally staged at Seongju, Friday.
The ministers, who visited the town to persuade the residents, were met with jeers and were pelted with eggs and water bottles by enraged protesters gathered to protest the government’s decision. They were also stuck in a van for about seven hours surrounded by the protesters.
Following the scuffle, police started analyzing video footage to identify those who used violence and vowed to punish them on obstruction of justice charges.
The ruling Saenuri Party and conservative media further voiced concerns that outside groups including leftist anti-American civic protesters allegedly joined the rally and instigated the violence after Lee Jae-bok, one of the co-heads of the Seongju protesters’ group raised such suspicions.
“We should differentiate residents’ expressing opinions and outsiders’ committing violence,” Saenuri Party floor leader Rep. Chung Jin-suk said during a party meeting, arguing that professional protesters have sabotaged large-scale national projects. “The authorities should thoroughly investigate if they participated in the rally.”
Opposition parties united in one voice, saying the ruling bloc is seeking to divert public attention by pointing fingers at leftist civic groups.
“The government will face bigger public protests if it seeks to cover its own mishaps by shedding too much light on the violent protest,” said People’s Party chief policymaker Rep. Kim Song-sik.