hankyoreh

Cartoon by Kwon Beom-chul

President Park Geun-hye drew clear battle lines on the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) issue on Aug. 8, blaming the political opposition for the ongoing debate.

With South Korea-China relations imperiled since the THAAD announcement and residents at the planned deployment municipality in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province becoming increasingly vocal in their opposition, Park’s remarks signal that she is responding to the conflict by attacking the opposition for using the issue for “political ends.” Critics are leveling the same charges at her - with a defensive Park shifting into attack mode over a planned China visit by first-term lawmakers from the opposition Minjoo Party - while her remarks are drawing accusations of distortion and political smears.

Park’s harsh criticism of the six Minjoo Party lawmakers’ visit came while she was presiding over a morning senior secretaries’ meeting in the Blue House.

“On security issues, we can’t have ‘ruling party’ and ‘opposition’ divisions. There can‘t be differences of values and political perspectives,” she said.

“Some politicians have recently been publicly making outrageous claims that echo those coming from North Korea, talking about how we would have ’nothing to say for ourselves if North Korea engaged in additional provocations over the THAAD deployment,‘” she added.

President Park Geun-hye presides over a meeting of her senior secretariat

Park also attempted to use out-of-context quotes by Minjoo Party lawmaker Kim Han-jung to paint him as pro-North Korea. During a visit to the planned THAAD deployment site in Seongju on Aug. 4, Kim commented that the deployment had resulted in difficulties with coordination with China and Russia on North Korea.

Kim issued a press release on Aug. 8 demanding an apology from Park in response.

“It is dismaying to see my remarks severely distorted to slander me as pro-North Korea and engage in red-baiting tactics,” he said.

Park went on to say, “I face harsh protests and criticisms every day, but I am prepared to accept any denunciations to protect the people who chose me as their president.”

“I plead with politicians to cooperate on working to guard the security of the country and its people,” she added.

With her repeated remarks on her “calling” of national security, Park appeared to be using THAAD as a wedge issue to rally her supporters.

The opposition was unanimous in accusing Park of trying to pass the administration’s own responsibility off on politicians.

“Must even the president intervene in normal diplomatic activities by National Assembly members and fan conflict?” asked Minjoo Party floor spokesperson Ki Dong-min in a briefing at the National Assembly.

“Is it appropriate for a president to distort the facts to slander opposition party lawmakers’ activities as ‘collaborating with China’ or accusing them of making ‘outrageous statements that echo Pyongyang?’” Ki also asked.

The People’s Party and Justice Party - both early to oppose the THAAD deployment as part of their platforms - were even more openly confrontational.

“The Blue House should step forward when it’s their time. Their making these kinds of serious condemnations [toward China] now ultimately cannot be seen as anything but a declaration of war, where they’re saying they want to ‘have it out’ with Beijing,” said People’s Party emergency committee chairperson Park Jie-won.

“She shouldn’t try to shift the situation from the essential - the THAAD deployment - to the incidental and the antagonism with China,” Park added.

Justice Party leader Sim Sang-jung also criticized the President’s actions in a telephone interview with the Hankyoreh.

“The President is under fire on all sides over the THAAD issue, but instead of seeking bipartisan cooperation from the opposition, she’s leading the way in dividing the public by encouraging political strife and using intimidation tactics,” Sim said.

Meanwhile, the ruling Saenuri Party continued ratcheting up its criticisms of the opposition. In a statement, spokesperson Ji Sang-wuk described the six Minjoo Party lawmakers’ China visit as “a new form of China toadyism in the guise of ’parliamentarian diplomacy.‘”

“Those who have taken their oath to put their own country’s interests first and given that away to China no longer have the right to serve as members of the Republic of Korea’s National Assembly. As of now, there are 294 members of the South Korean National Assembly [rather than 300],” Ji continued.

Saenuri Party floor leader Chung Jin-suk said the lawmakers’ actions would be “sternly judged by the South Korean people and history.”

By Choi Hye-jung, Ha Eo-young and Lee Kyung-mi, staff reporters

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