The two leading opposition parties on Thursday green-lighted the talks for corporate restructuring to overhaul the outdated industries, an agenda pushed by the ruling camp but shunned by the liberals for fear of massive job losses.
The government and ruling Saenuri Party welcomed the gesture which seemed to be a conservative switch for the opposition camp, but also stressed that the passage of pending economic revitalization and labor reform bills should be prioritized.
“We will take detailed, practical actions (on corporate restructuring),” Kim Chong-in, leader and proportional representative-elect of The Minjoo Party of Korea, told reporters Thursday.
The plan may include setting up an in-party task force that will draft related policies, he added.
Saenuri Party whip Rep. Won Yoo-chul (left) and The Minjoo Party of Korea chief Kim Chong-in attend a forum in Seoul on Thursday. (Yonhap)
The main opposition chief’s comment was a follow-up from the previous day, when he pledged to “fully cooperate with corporate restructuring plans,” on condition that the government devises efficient countermeasures to consequent layoffs.
“Without fundamental restructuring, our nation’s long-term outlook may not improve,” Kim said during the party’s emergency council meeting Wednesday.
The flexible turn toward restructuring, generally considered a policy initiative of the conservative camp, was taken as a sign that the Minjoo Party is set to expanding its leverage into the centrist zone and to reducing its former left-leaning activist tendency.
It also came in line with Kim’s slogan of economic democratization, which aims at harmonizing economic growth and democratic distribution.
But the corporate-friendly move triggered concerns that it may drive away the labor circles, the longtime stronghold of the opposition party.
“We believe ourselves able to establish a social safety net for the layoffs (that will take place upon large-scale restructuring) and also to solve the consequent social strife,” said the party’s floor leader Rep. Lee Jung-kul in a radio interview.
The runner-up opposition People’s Party, too, advocated a “corporate structural reform,” but placed more focus on the creation of jobs for youths.
“The government has wasted time, shifting the blame onto the parliament, and now has lost the opportunity for fundamental structural reforms,” said Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, coleader and lawmaker-elect of the People’s Party.
“None of our pending problems can be solved unless we discard the conglomerate-centered way of thinking from society.”
The former information technology guru thus underlined the importance of creating new growth businesses and of connecting them to sustainable jobs for the young generation.
The ruling Saenuri Party welcomed the opposition camp’s move, taking it as a momentum for the long-pending economic revitalization and labor reform bills, which had been held back since last year due to resistance by the opposition.
“Restructuring is absolutely crucial for our current economic situations,” said the Saenuri’s policy chief Rep. Kim Jung-hoon.
“But effective restructuring plans should by all means be accompanied by labor reforms, too.”
Kim also added that the opposition’s economic drives may only be a gesture to expand its leverage ahead of the presidential election, slated for December next year.
The far-left minority opposition Justice Party, on the other hand, expressed resistance to the top two opposition parties’ stance.
“I fear that Kim’s comment may signal the start of unjustified mass layoffs,” said party chief Rep. Sim Sang-jeung.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly kicked off a final extraordinary session on Thursday, scheduled to run through May 20.
By Bae Hyun-jung (
tellme@heraldcorp.com)
