Key aide to Park GH attacks floor leader for being pro-business


Kim Chong-in, tapped to head the campaign for the Saenuri Party’s presidential frontrunner Rep. Park Geun-hye, on Monday reproached prominent figures in the pro-Park ranks for distorting the meaning of economic democratization, one of Park’s key election slogans.

The economist-turned-politician also denounced the Federation of Korean Industries, the largest association of conglomerates, for its opposition to her policies to increase welfare and share the fruit of growth with wider members of society.

Kim, known for center-right views, has been at odds with floor leader Lee Hahn-koo, a free market advocate, and Rep. Choi Kyung-hwan, former knowledge economy minister.

“Some of the pro-Park lawmakers have spoken of economic democratization but their remarks mean little,” Kim said in a radio interview Monday.

He criticized them for trumpeting free market economics as the core value of Park’s economic policies.

“Because Choi served as knowledge economy minister he knows well about Korea’s economic reality. Lee has long been involved in the chaebol circles, so he represents their interests,” he said.

He said they speak as if the market economy is equivalent to economic democratization, which is a big misunderstanding.

Kim has argued that Korea must consolidate and deepen democracy by reducing economic and social gaps.

“If one does not know about economic democratization, how can they understand political democratization?” he said.

He served as a member of the party’s emergency leadership council which was initiated and led by Park in order to reform the party ahead of the general elections in April.

Kim is widely expected to co-chair the election campaign committee of the former party chairwoman.

He downplayed the differences in opinion among supporters of Park.

“Once Park is confirmed as presidential candidate, the party will have to devote all its energy to her election and differences in individual opinions will not matter,” he said.

“Rep. Park is already well aware of how Korean society should cure its economic and social problems.”

The economist also blasted the FKI for demanding last year that the constitutional clause on economic democratization be abolished.

“It makes no sense. I doubt whether the FKI should exist at all, if it continues to hamper social unity,” Kim said.

The U.S. financial crisis in 2008 and the recent eurozone fiscal crisis prove that the market economy cannot function properly without certain rules and regulations, he said.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)