Rep. Kim Moo-sung, chairman of the Saenuri Party, reiterated the need for innovation and change on Thursday as the ruling party embarks on a year that hinges on the success of its reform drives.
Kim said that Korea faced many political, economic and social challenges, and that the party had a lot to tackle in 2015.
“When the country is in difficulty, the Saenuri Party should be the group that leads innovation to open a new age,” Kim said.
He went on to say that the party should rally behind “the spirit of reform to become the icon of innovation,” which would enable the party to win general and presidential elections down the road.
This year, the conservatives are faced with a number of reforms, the success of which could have a lasting impact on the party’s leaders.
Chief among the reform issues is the public sector pension system, which is expected to continue to pile up large deficits. With the party leadership having emphasized the issue for some time, it was selected as the most pressing matter of 2015 by ruling party members in a recent survey conducted by a local daily.
However, the matter is unlikely to be resolved easily. The issue has already missed the deadline of end-2014 that Cheong Wa Dae called for, and resistance from labor groups and the opposition bloc is expected to continue.
The issue has been met with fierce resistance from government employees from the outset, and they have since warned that they would launch a campaign for President Park Geun-hye’s administration to step down.
With much riding on the issue, the Saenuri Party is said to have experienced some trouble in selecting the chair for the committee, as the position will bear the brunt of the wrath of those opposing the reforms. The chair will also be unable to avoid taking the blame should the efforts to reform the pension system fail. The party chairman, however, is taking on the issue with his characteristic drive, stating that results will be seen by April.
Kim has also taken on the task of reforming the conservatives, which he touted as his main agenda since taking the helm of the party.
Despite his support, the process has faced hurdles. The plans drawn up by the party’s reform committee were initially rejected at the general meeting of lawmakers in November, and the committee was accused of failing to communicate properly.
The reform plan eventually received party approval, but only after significant changes had been made and doubts had been raised about Kim’s leadership.
All aspects of the modified plan were accepted by the party at the very end of last year, but failure to achieve significant change would deal a considerable blow to Kim, whom pundits consider one of the few conservative bigwigs to practice his own brand of politics with relative independence from President Park.
By Choi He-suk ()
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
