President Lee, Saenuri candidate meet ahead of presidential race
President Lee Myung-bak and the ruling Saenuri Party’s presidential candidate Park Geun-hye met for a private luncheon for the first time in eight months Sunday, during which the two discussed ways to tackle violent crimes and economic difficulties.
During the 100-minute-long meeting, the former chairwoman suggested setting up a nationwide campaign for safety in light of increased social anxiety following a series of high-profile violent crimes across the country, officials said.
“We should designate the following 100 days as a period to establish security nationwide by taking measures to prevent various anti-social crimes and securing a safe environment, jointly by the civil and public sectors,” Park was quoted as saying by Lee Sang-il, her spokesman.
Only the first four minutes of the meeting were disclosed to the press.
President Lee Myung-bak (right) and Rep. Park Geun-hye shake hands as they meet for a one-on-one luncheon meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on Sunday. (Chung Hee-cho/The Korea Herald)
The two former arch-nemeses agreed on the urgency of several social issues during the meeting that was arranged upon Park’s request as the ruling party’s newly-elected presidential candidate.
Park had lost to Lee in the heated 2007 primary, and the two have since maintained uncomfortable relations.
The two’s meeting, arranged just about three months ahead of the Dec. presidential election, was widely seen as an attempt to show voters the ruling camp’s cooperative vibe.
This is the first time in a decade for an incumbent president to have a private meeting with a ruling party’s presidential candidate, following the one between then-President Kim Dae-jung and then-presidential candidate Roh Moo-hyun in April 2002.
Since the introduction of a direct presidential election system in 1987, the incoming and outgoing leaders of the ruling camp have always suffered a fallout, leading to defections of the president from the ruling party close to the next presidential election.
Conducted in an amicable atmosphere, Lee and Park also exchanged concerns over the damage caused by the typhoons last week, according to the aides. Park urged for the government to expand their support to neglected areas, to which Lee agreed to look into.
The two also discussed ways to prop up the public’s economy such as through tuition cuts, wider child care subsidies and support for traditional markets.
Lee asked for the political arena to support the government’s effort to improve the economy. One-on-one meetings between the two had been rare during the incumbent administration.
The last meeting was in December last year, when Lee gathered the heads of the negotiating parties upon the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to discuss measures.
On June 3, 2011, Park visited Cheong Wa Dae to report on her visit to Europe as Lee’s special envoy.
Earlier on Aug. 21, 2010, Lee and Park met up in an attempt to bury the hatchet after having fired salvos over the government’s push to revise the plans for Sejong City.
Sources said Lee is also open to meeting up with a final candidate of the opposition party for sake of maintaining neutrality.
The main opposition Democratic United Party, however, denounced the meeting as a breach of the impartiality required of the president.
“As was anticipated, the two shared dialogues in which the president, who must uphold his neutrality in election and sternly manage the race, instead listened to the polices and pledges of a certain presidential candidate of a specific party,” DUP spokeswoman Rep. Kim Hyun said.
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
