Cheong Wa Dae is silent amid parliament clash

The presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae made it clear last Saturday that it would not accept a bill demanding dismissal of Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Kim Jae-soo. Since then, the government has remained silent and tried to keep a distance from the clash between the ruling and opposition parties.

Presidential spokesperson Jeong Yeon-gook did not have a definite rejoinder Tuesday when he was asked about the government’s position to the conflicts over the National Assembly against a backdrop that includes a hunger strike by the head of the ruling Saenuri Party and a bumpy road for the National Assembly inspection. He said he had “nothing to comment on the current situations at the National Assembly.” This illustrates a stark difference from the government’s previous remarks. President Park Geun-hye strongly criticized the passage of the bill to dismiss Minister Kim, led by opposition party members, at a workshop with ministers and vice-ministers on Saturday. Her denial of the bill on the dismissal of Minister Kim was confirmed again through Jeong’s statement on Sunday.

Cheong Wa Dae is seemingly waiting to see developments at the National Assembly and changes in the public opinion after president Park has clarified her positions to the bill on the dismissal of Minister Kim and some allegations over the Mir Foundation and K-Sports Foundation. The government would want to avoid any accusations on its influences in a tug-of-war happening at the National Assembly.

“Cheng Wa Dae has nothing to comment on as the Saenuri Party is taking a hard-line approach and the head of the party is staging a hunger strike,” Cheong Wa Dae sources said. “Issues at the National Assembly need to be addressed by assembly members.”

President Park had a bilateral summit with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday, instead chairing a cabinet meeting. During the summit, both leaders signed five memorandum of understanding (MOU) and made a commitment to strengthen cooperation in new industries including big data analysis and bio and information technology. The two leaders also discussed Korean companies’ participation in the 500-million-euro worth of project for replacement of nuclear reactors at an atomic energy research center in the Netherlands.

장택동 기자will71@donga.com