President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday expressed concern over a prolonged political deadlock at the parliament, stressing that it could impede the nation’s diplomatic relations with allies and hinder government efforts to expand bilateral trade and investment.

“I was surprised to hear from (representatives of) Canada that they are signing the FTA deal after many difficulties but they are now concerned about the passage of the deal at the Korean parliament,” Park said during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae.

Last week, South Korea and Canada signed a free-trade deal during Park’s official visit to Ottawa. But it is unclear when the parliament will endorse the bill as the two rival parties remain at odds over a probe into the Sewol ferry disaster.

The ruling and main opposition parties have been locking horns over the bill aimed at setting up an independent counsel to investigate the sinking, which killed more than 300 people in April.

The main opposition party has been boycotting all sessions at the legislature to protest the ruling Saenuri Party’s refusal to give investigative powers to the bereaved families of Sewol victims.

Amid escalating public criticism the parliament’s legislative inactivity, Assembly Speaker Chung Ui-hwa said he would convene a plenary session Tuesday.

The president went on to say that the political row at the National Assembly was creating concern overseas, and that it could tarnish the nation’s image and damage allies’ trust in it. Park also called for swift parliamentary endorsement of two free trade deals with Australia and Canada.

The political row has delayed the legislation of government-proposed bills for months. The Park administration has submitted scores of bills as to revitalize the economy and carry out nationwide reforms in the private and public sectors in the wake of the Sewol crisis.

In a veiled criticism of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, Park also lamented that she had spent her first two years in office “in difficulties” due to the political wrangling.

“Nearly two years after the new government was launched, it has been suffering from difficulties because of the out-of-parliament politics and political animosity,” she said.

Accusing the opposition of politically motivated actions, Park said that the lawmakers had abandoned their pledges to work for the good of the people.

“Politics and the National Assembly exist for the people,” Park said. “But where did the oaths and the vows go? … (T)hey are approaching every issue in a partisan manner.”

Park also urged officials to help improve the lives of North Koreans, calling the human rights issue in the North a top priority for the South Korean government.

“We should not be passive about these issues out of fear of a North Korean backlash,” Park said.

“The issue of North Korea’s nuclear program and human rights is the core agenda in our North Korean policy to make a peaceful and happy Korean Peninsula,” she added.

Unlike Park, leaders of liberal South Korean governments rarely talked about Pyongyang’s human rights situation out of concern that it could strain inter-Korean relations.



By Cho Chung-un

(christory@heraldcorp.com)