A Political Terrorist Strikes

Assailant knifes GNP Chairman Park at a rally opening gash on her cheek

What has become of this country?"many netizens cried out on the Internet shocked by the news that Chairman of major opposition Grand National Party Park Geun-hye had been attacked by a would-be assassin in the evening of May 20. Many people feared that the country is back sliding into the era of turbulence following the liberation from the Japanese colonial rule. During 1945 and 1948 when the government was officially sworn in, many political parties hired thugs to do their dirty jobs for them. Important figures assassinated during the anarchic period included Kim Ku, Yeo Woon-hyung, and Song Jin-woo, among others. The GNP chairman was on her way to the stage to address a rally in Shinchon in southwestern part of Seoul for GNP Seoul mayoral candidate Oh Se-hoon, when the assailant came forward and stabbed her on her right temple with a knife, leaving a gash some 11 cm long and the bleeding GNP chairman was taken to the nearby Severance Hospital for treatment. The doctor who treated her said she was lucky to be alive as the knife missed the vein on her neck by 0.5 cm. It took 60 stitches to close the gash; She has to stay in the hospital for about a week. But it would take a long time for her to recover the ability to speak normally because her jaw muscle had been cut, which will take some time to heal completely. Among the dignitaries who visited the hospital to offer their consolation included former President Kim Young-sam, Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak, former GNP chairman Lee Hoi-chang and her brother Park Ji-man. U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Alexander Vershbow also paid a call on the chairman at the hospital Monday.
President Roh Moo-hyun ordered a complete investigation in to the incident by a joint investigation team of police and prosecution office. The GNP floor leader, Lee Jae-oh, called for an intensive investigation, especially, the assailant's background and accomplices. During the pandemonium following the attack, a person identified as Park only by the police and, who is a dues-paying member of the ruling Uri Party, seized the microphone and shouted death to the opposition GNP for the sake of democracy. Police said the two incidents were unrelated as the would-be assassin and Park said they didn't know each other at the police station. Police said they will investigate further their relationship and background of the attack with all kinds of rumors flying around the motives of the attacker and his background. The would-be assassin Ji served almost 15 years for various crimes convicted on 8 different occasions and has been paroled recently
The incident is said to have boosted the support for the GNP and its candidates to widen their lead over rivals in the local elections scheduled to take place on May 31. The GNP candidates were leading in all areas across the country, except Daejeon, Jeju Island and the Honam region, the home turf of the Democratic Party, which was formerly led by former President Kim Dae-jung. The attack even increased the support for GNP candidates who were trailing leading candidates including Daejeon, Jeju Province and the Honam region. Polls taken after the incident showed that GNP with 41.5 percent support against 19.5 percent for the ruling Uri Party.
Seoul:
In the Seoul mayoral contest, where a heated campaign is being held between GNP candidate Oh, who has a more than 20 percentage points lead over her second place rival Kang Keum-shil in the latest polls garnering 48 percent to Kang's 24 percent. Kang is the Uri Party's candidate.
The biggest contention among the rival candidates is their campaign pledge on the capital city's economy. Oh pledged that he will create many jobs. He will have Seoul City cooperate with university research institutes and industrial firms to push industrial projects that will create jobs for the city. The mayoral candidate promised that he will have Seoul City provide 295 billion won to support those joint industrial projects until 2010. Kang came up with the pledge of creating 500,000 new jobs in the capital in the next four years if she is elected.
She will divide the city into six districts to promote industries suitable to each location. She said the Yongsan district will be a hub for globalization, the Yeouido district, the home for international finance, the Magok district, the center of IT, NT, and BT, high-tech businesses, the Sangam district, the digital media center, the Gangnam district, the center for IT, animation, and fashion industries, and the Ttuksom and Jamsil district the home for culture, sports, and games industries. She said she will see various regulations surrounding the city eased to attract more business investment.
Gyeonggi Province:
In the gubernatorial election in Gyeonggi Province surrounding the capital, GNP candidate Kim Moon-soo has a solid leader of his second place rival, Uri Party's Jin Dae-je. Kim's lead is likely to be further boosted due to the impact from the attack on the GNP top official. Uri Party candidate Jin, who is a former Minister of Information and Communication, promised that he will remove regulations on industrial area designation in the province, so that the provincial administration would have the right to designate industrial locations within the province. He will also expand e-learning network and reduce tutoring expenses for Gyeonggi residents. GNP candidate Kim also called for the removal of the capital area regulations to attract corporate investment. He heard many business firms complain that they have not been able to expand their investment due to the regulations. Kim said he will invite the construction and operation of private high schools in the province in the underdeveloped areas.
Jin said he will not build any more English Villages in the province due to its enormous cost to build and operate, although those villages help young students learn English. Kim said he will continue to push plans already set up to build more English Villages. But he will seek other means to secure finances to maintain them including the transfer them to private organizations to run.
Busan:
Oh Geo-don, Uri Party candidate for mayor of Busan, said he will try to secure operation funds totaling 3 trillion won every year from the central government to help the finance of Busan City in terms of its economic plans. He said the economy of Busan, the second largest city in Korea, has been lagging behind others because the opposition party has been in power for too long and they failed to restructure the industry in the port city. Mayor Hur, who is running for reelection on the GNP ticket, said the problem for the city is the lack of land for industrial facilities and he will develop 4.4 million pyeong of land by 2010 and provide them to business firms to build plants. He will build a facility for small business firms in the city to develop shoe and design businesses, among others. He will set up the Busan Economic Development Institute and put the Techno Park, the Busan Credit Guarantee Fund and the Export Support Center under the institute to build a one-stop support system to sharpen corporate competitiveness and reinvigoration.
The incumbent mayor has a definite edge over his major opponent Oh, with Busan being the home base for the opposition GNP.
Incheon:
Uri Party candidate for Incheon mayor Choi Ki-sun said to make a success out of the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority, we need the financial support from the central government. He said the government is in the process of revising the free economic zone law to give more power to the zone authority and increase the central government support to the zone. Incheon mayor will have the authority to name the director of the zone authority and 10 trillion won of the 14 trillion won required to build infrastructure of the zone will be provided by the central government when the law is revised, the Uri Party candidate claimed. He is a former mayor of Incheon.
If he is reelected, the incumbent mayor said he will try to win the right to host the Asian Games in Incheon in 2014 in competition with New Delhi in an effort to upgrade the city. He also said that he will push the development of the old town of Incheon by putting the Sungee Athletic Ground and the Chemulpo Station and the Incheon harbor area under the Buy-Incheon mid and long-term development plan. Uri Party candidate Choi said he will try to attract more foreign direct investment to Incheon. The Gyeonggi Province attracted $13.8 billion worth of FDI last year, compared to $1.85 billion for Incheon in the past four years. nw

Chairman of Grand National Party Park Geun-hye is escorted to an ambulance after an assailant slashed her cheek with a knife during a rally in Seoul May 20

Hundreds of supporters of GNP Chairman Park are on a vigil to pray for her speedy recovery May 20 in front of Seoul City Hall.