For Creation of Conciliatory Mood

President Lee, Rep. Park finally hold one-on-one session to agree on mutual help to win next presidential election

President Lee Myung-bak finally had a meeting with Rep. Park Geun-hye, leader of the Park faction in the Grand National Party, which helped to vote down the president’s bid to revise the decision by the former government led by late President Roh Moo-hyun to move part of the government ministries to Sejong City in South Chungcheong Province at the recent parliamentary sessions. The former chairwoman of the GNP also lost her presidential nomination bid for the party’s candidacy to President Lee in 2007. Many in the ruling party circles urged that the two should hold a meeting and patch up differences if only for the sake of the next presidential election coming up in about two years.
President Lee and former ruling Grand National Party (GNP) Chairwoman Park met on Aug. 21 at Cheong Wa Dae to discuss the next presidential election and other political issues, their aides said.
“Lee and Park had one-on-one talks over lunch from 11:55 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.,” Chung Jin-suk, senior presidential secretary for political affairs, told reporters, confirming a report by local broadcaster SBS earlier in the day that they had met secretly.
Chung said it was difficult to say what they discussed because it was a closed-door meeting, but, according to Park’s aides, they exchanged opinions on how to win the next presidential election, security regarding North Korea and other issues of concern.
“Park received an invitation Aug. 20 for the meeting at the presidential office,” said GNP lawmaker Lee Jung-hyun, a close aide to the former chairwoman. “They shared the common goal of winning the next presidential election by regaining public confidence in the governing camp and discussed a wide range of other issues, including North Korea.”
It was their first meeting since Park visited Lee in September last year after returning from a trip to Europe as a presidential envoy.
It’s still too early to say whether the meeting between the two estranged conservative leaders will pave the way for reconciliation between the GNP’s rival factions.
Early this month, President Lee nominated the 48-year-old former South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Tae-ho as the new prime minister, sparking speculation that Lee wants him to compete with Park for the presidency. Park lost to Lee in the two-way GNP primary race in 2007 to choose its presidential candidate.
The National Assembly held a two-day confirmation hearing for premier-designate Kim on Aug. 24.
Lee also had taken measures to mend fences with Park.
He gave a special pardon on the occasion of the Aug. 15 Liberation Day to Suh Chung-won, former GNP lawmaker and a close aide to Park, who was serving a prison term after being convicted of taking illegal political funds. Suh was one of more than 2,000 convicts who received presidential pardons.
After the pardons were announced, some aides said Lee decided to free him in an effort to seek unity within the ruling camp.
Lee needs close cooperation from Park and her 50-strong affiliated lawmakers to push through his reform agenda, including the disputed flagship project to refurbish four major rivers nationwide. nw

President Lee Myung-bak and Rep. Park Geun-hye exchange views with all smiles after their lunch at Cheong Wa Dae on Aug. 21.