Pres. Park to hold a press conference while releasing national statement

Pres. Park to hold a press conference while releasing national statement. January. 12, 2016 07:20. will71@donga.com.

It appears that President Park Geun-hye decided to both release a statement to the nation and hold a press conference on January 13 in a bid to let the public understand the gravity of issues such as North Korea’s fourth nuclear test and to promote communication with the Korean people. While President Park has announced her statement to the nation four times since she took office, this marks the first that she will have held a press conference and made speech on the same day.

The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae has tried to find an effective way to inform the public of the negative impact that the failure of carrying out reforms in four major sectors will have on the national economy as a result of the geopolitical crisis stemming from the North’s nuclear test and the delayed process of passing the relevant laws for labor reform. “There was a need to announce a statement to stress the importance of this message. Issuing a statement alone might lead to lack of communication, so it has been decided that a press conference should be held as well,” said an official from the presidential office.

In her statement, President Park is expected to explain about the efforts that the Korean government has made along with the international community to cope with North Korea’s recent nuclear test while calling for the lawmakers to stop political war and promoting national solidarity. It appears that during the Q& A session, President Park is likely to make comments about the reason why the phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping is being delayed and whether there will be additional sanctions implemented against the North.

In particular, President Park is expected to use a strong tone in urging the policymakers to pass some of the controversial bills including the relevant laws for labor reform and the act on economic revitalization through the provisional session of the National Assembly in January. On the same day, Unification Ministry announced to minimize the number of workers residing in the Gaesong Industrial Complex out of the judgment that there are an increasing number of elements threatening the safety of Korean citizens in the wake of the nuclear test and the reopening of the loudspeaker propaganda against North Korea. As risk factors increase, the Korean government is planning to cut back on the number of Koreans staying in the industrial complex and withdraw the entire personnel from the North in the worst case scenario in accordance with the contingency plan.

After the recent nuclear test, the Korean government is maintaining a strong stance against the North by starting the loudspeaker propaganda against the regime and downsizing its operation in the inter-Korean industrial complex in Gaesong. This represents President Park’s resolve to make the North "pay the due price" even if the situation is further prolonged. “The statement will include a strong message that South Korea will never resort to inaction in case of North Korea’s provocations,” said a high-ranking official of the presidential office of Korea.