Repercussions from Lee Sang-bae`s Statement: `Moron Diplomacy`

As Lee Sang-bae, chief policy maker of the Grand National Party (GNP), denounced President Roh Moo-hyun`s visit to Japan as moron diplomacy on June 9, the Blue House and Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) defined the denouncement as a serious blunder on the part of the politician. It caused quite a stir on the political scene, stopping congressional hearings in the afternoon.

Lee Sang-bae said in a meeting of policy makers, “President Roh`s diplomacy through this visit to Japan will be recorded as a humiliation and a model of stupid politics.” As this statement went out, Lee Hae-seong, chief presidential secretary for public relations offered a press conference. He expressed strong regret at the conference, saying that the statement was an inconceivable insult against the leader of the nation and called for an apology by the GNP.

Cho Young-dong, a government spokesman issued a press release, criticizing the statement as a senseless insult towards the President and requested that the GDP cement its official position on the matter.

The MDP also recalled an emergency meeting and decided that its members would not attend congressional hearings until the GDP officially apologizes for Lee`s statement, promising that the situation would not happen again. Congressional hearings on reunification and diplomacy policies which were scheduled for the afternoon that day were cancelled.

The MDP called for the resignation of Lee and brought the case to the Congressional Ethics Committee for his expulsion from the congressional members` list.

Spokesman Moon Seok-ho defined the statement as an inconceivable insult of the nation`s top leader and called for an official position of the GDP on the issue.

As things got out of hand, the chef policy maker of the GDP issued a personal statement. “The statement in question was merely rhetorical criticism. I regret if there was any misunderstanding on the matter,” he said.

After an emergency meeting, GDP spokesman Park Chong-hee said in a briefing that “the MDP has now diverted people`s attention away from the diplomatic failure and are dragging their feet on the matter” adding, “We cannot accept the request from the MDP now that chief Lee already expressed regret for his statement.”

Yeon-Wook Jung Young-Hae Choi jyw11@donga.com yhchoi65@donga.com