Park Geun-hye Refuses to Accept Compromise Proposal

Former Grand National Party Chairwoman Park Geun-hye spent her Friday with acquaintances by canceling official appointments. Park is also planning to spend the weekend at her residence.

As soon as the news about Park’s decision to spend four days without official meetings spread, rumors started to circulate within the party that she went into seclusion to give much thought before making a political decision. Park said on Thursday that she might boycott the primary if Chairman Kang Jae-sup’s compromise proposal is adopted.

Many GNP lawmakers view that Park’s remark hinting her primary boycott and her canceling of official appointments are part of a campaign strategy to gain an upper hand over Lee.

However, Lee Jeong-hyeon, a press secretary to Park, denied the speculation saying, “Park is carrying out private activities. Since Park has an ‘unchangeably firm’ belief that abiding by the principles and agreements is most fundamental, she doesn’t feel it is necessary to be alone to give much thought about it.”

Park’s aides have been busy to come up with countermeasures since Park clarified that she would not accept Kang’s proposal. “We have not made any suggestions with regard to the primary rules. If opinions between the two presidential contenders differ, the primary should be carried out as the two agreed with Kang (in August on a 200,000-member electoral college),” an aide of Park said.

With regard to Kang’s announcement that he will resign if his reconciliation efforts fail, although Park’s camp has showed indifference over Kang’s potential withdrawal, it is calculating how voting will likely turn out at the National Standing Committee and the National Committee while preparing countermeasures.

Meanwhile, not only pro-Park lawmakers, but also some lawmakers remaining in a neutral position suggest that Kang’s proposed regulation that guarantees the general citizens’ turnout minimum of 67 percent when calculating the opinion poll is not fair.

“No matter what people say, Park is the one who rescued the party from falling to pieces. Forcing unfair primary rules to Park who is far behind former Seoul mayor Lee Myung-bak is politically and morally unjust,” said a first-term lawmaker who claims to remain neutral.

Rep. Hong Joon-pyo criticized Lee on Friday, saying, “‘A man who owns fields yielding 10,000 sacks of rice a year’ is demanding another grain of rice.” Pro-Lee lawmaker Bae Il-do also voluntarily held a press conference on Friday and said, “The nomination race should be held in accordance to Park’s claims.”

In particular, the situation is more advantageous to Park as Kim Hak-won, the chairman of the National Standing Committee who has the right to propose the revision of the party constitution, is refusing to table Kang`s proposal unless the two rival contenders reach an agreement.

Most of the lawmakers of the GNP believe that the proposed constitution will be turned down at the National Standing Committee and the National Committee unless Park agrees to Kang’s compromise proposal.

sunshade@donga.com