Ruling, opposition parties fail to find exit from crisis

Ruling, opposition parties fail to find exit from crisis. November. 16, 2016 07:11. by Jae-Myoung Lee, Dong-Yong Min egija@donga.com,mindy@donga.com.

Amid the ongoing chaos of paralyzed state administration, the ruling camp has revealed hopelessness, and the opposition has shown irresponsibility without reservation. The political circle, which must come up with exit for the national crisis, is effectively adding to uncertainties in state administration through their own disorder and chaos.

In a press conference at the National Assembly on Tuesday afternoon, Moon Jae-in, former chairman of the main opposition Minjoo Party, made a surprise announcement suggesting that he would join forces with the people to stage a national campaign to force out the president until she decides to step down unconditionally.” Moon thus withdrew his repeated demand on the Park Geun-hye administration to form an all-nation cabinet.

Choo Mi-ae, chairwoman of the Minjoo Party, who increased confusion on Monday by offering a one-on-one meeting to President Park Geun-hye before cancelling the meeting later in the day, formed a united front with Moon by uploading a post on her Facebook page, which read, “To secure the president’s early resignation, the three opposition parties and civil society will exert efforts to set up an organization to tackle the current emergency situations.” Choo indicated that her party will halt the efforts to find a political solution together with President Park, and instead mobilize all of the opposition’s capability to stage outdoor struggles in order to secure the president’s immediate resignation.

“Moon’s ‘important announcement’ is full of his lightness. We cannot find any hints of responsibility, provision of alternative solution and national unity that is expected in him as national leader,” Saenuri Floor Leader Chung Jin-seok instantly refuted Moon's announcement.

However, factions within the Saenuri Party, which was dealt a devastating blow by the anger of the public demonstrated by candlelight vigils by 1 million citizens, entered a path for individualist survival. The party has lost momentum to bring the opposition camp that is insisting on a hardline stance to the negotiating table. Saenuri Chairman Lee Jung-hyun called a meeting of third-term lawmakers on the day, but Rep. Ahn Sang-soo was the only attendant. This incident vividly illustrated the demotion of his stature as party leader.

In a meeting with reporters, Lee strongly blasted his party’s potential presidential candidates by saying, “Don’t call yourselves a presidential candidate until you secure more than 10 percent approval rating. Do not tarnish the image of the Saenuri Party.” Potential presidential candidates including former party leader Kim Moo-sung attended a meeting of representatives for the emergency situation committee, an intra-party gathering that is calling for Lee’s immediate resignation as party chairman, and the party’s dismantlement. The mainstream faction (the pro-Park Geun-hye group) and the non-mainstream group have thus entered into a full-blown conflict. As internal feud is intensifying within the ruling camp, while hardliners gained the ground in the opposition camp, watchers say that the chance for normalization of state administration in an orderly fashion may be going up in smoke.