Champion of Diplomacy

Rep. Park a GNP loyalist the foremost expert on foreign affairs

Rep. Park Jin of the Grand National Party has a lot to boast about as he is set to run for his third four-year term as a legislator in April's parliamentary election representing the Jongno district in the heart of Seoul. The ward is one of the key districts in the country. Political parties have always been keen on their own candidates to win the district and, therefore, put up a heavyweight to run in the ward.
Many notable politicians have gained national fame by representing the district as a lawmaker in the past. Former Jongno legislators include President-elect Lee Myung-bak, who made his political debut by winning the parliamentary seat in the district in the late 1990s before he became the mayor of Seoul.
Park, who was born in Myeongreun-dong, Seoul, is a Jongno native, which is a distinct advantage for him in the upcoming election.
He has already kicked off his campaign, although he has yet to get the GNP's nod as the official candidate. Park is all but assured the party nomination, though, based on his record as a legislator and his service to the GNP. The most notable contribution that he made to the party during his second term in office was his relentless work during the presidential election last year.
He and his staff visited homes and took to the streets and alleys in Jongno to campaign for the former legislator from Jongno to the extent that over 50 percent of the electorate in the district voted for GNP standard bearer Lee, swaying the election in his direction. He also played a key role in shaping the president-elect's foreign policies in the areas of unification, diplomacy and security so that the new government will be headed in the direction of a healthy and pragmatic conservatism. "Now, I can claim that I played a part in the party's success in changing the government. We are now in a position to recover the lost 10 years of progressive rule and open the age of success for the people,"Park said, following the GNP victory in the presidential election.
Park said in one of the many brochures about him that he will take charge of diplomacy, security and unification issues for the new government to "lay a solid foundation for the nation's future"as chairman of the international committee of the GNP. He is the dean of the Security, Diplomacy and Unification Committee of the Presidential Transition Committee, which will draw up a vision for a Global Korea. During the Presidential campaign, the legislator took charge of Lee's international relations committee. nw

Rep. Park Jin of the Grand National Party.