The sign on the wall says “Sejong City Pub.”

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak says in a drunken stupor to those sitting at a table in front of him, including former chairwoman of the Grand National Party Park Geun-hye, “Let’s live in harmony.” His statement is in regards to the revisions to the Sejong City Development Plan.

However, the faces those seated show their embarrassment and shock because the president simultaneously threatens the people with a bottle representing a “major decision.”

High-ranking Cheong Wa Dae (the presidential office in South Korea or Blue House) officials have recently stated that President Lee Myung-bak will make a major decision about the Sejong City issue at the appropriate time. The “major decision” has been widely recognized as a referendum about the controversial revisions to the Sejong City Development Plan, which are unpopular and as a result are threatening to split the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) and give an edge to the opposition parties in the coming June 2 regional elections. Most constitutional scholars believe that the revisions to the Sejong City Development Plan cannot be subject to a referendum.

(Hankyoreh Geurimpan, Mar. 3. 2010)