Representatives of the government, the presidential office and the governing party agreed to have Saenuri Party take a lead role in pushing ahead with President Park Geun-hye’s economic reform drive as she enters her third year in office on Wednesday.

In the trilateral meeting held for the first time, officials said they would closely work together on policy agendas, legislating related bills and other tasks to realize Park’s economic revitalization plans, the centerpiece of her state agenda, before her term ends in early 2018. By law, South Korean presidents serve a single five-year term and cannot seek reelection.

 

“We have reached common ground to have the party take the lead in policy drives,” said Education Minister Hwang Woo-yea, who also serves as vice prime minister for social affairs.

“Since the National Assembly is important (for the legislation of related bills) and the party is close to the people, it is better for the party to take a center role for smooth communication with the people,” he said after the meeting.

At the meeting, officials also agreed to speed up efforts to pass bills aimed at improving people’s livelihoods and revamping the public servants’ pension system, as well as salvaging the ferry in which more than 300 died when it sank last year.

The trilateral committee, representing the government, Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling Saenuri Party, was launched last month as part of Park’s efforts to regain momentum for her reform drive and for smooth communication with the party.

Since early last year, she has been calling for massive restructuring of the private and public sectors, including the reform of the public servants’ pension system, education, labor and financial markets. Hit hard by a series of political scandals and nomination debacles as well as escalating discord with her party, Park has been seeking a way to bring her reform drive back on track.

Experts say that the launch of the trilateral committee for policy coordination may have come from Park’s “accurate assessment” of the current political situation that she will not be able to push ahead with reform plans without support from the party.

“So far, Park’s office reigned over the government and the party, and isolated its partners over policy coordination, which in return resulted in public concerns over inconsistent policies such as tax settlements and the health insurance system,” said Yoon Pyung-joong, a professor at Hanshin University.

Observers also noted that Saenuri Party’s taking the lead in the committee signifies a shift from Cheong Wa Dae exercising exclusive power in policymaking to sharing power and responsibility with the party. “The president may have decided to lend more power to the party, as she has realized it won’t work without the party’s support,” Yoon said.

Rep. Yoo Seung-min, the Saenuri Party floor leader, urged the president, who celebrated her third year in office on Wednesday, to drastically revise her policy directions.

Yoo, a nonmainstream lawmaker who defeated former Maritime Minister Rep. Lee Joo-young in the party’s primary vote last month, has been taking a critical approach to the president’s policies, particularly “welfare expansion without a tax hike.”

Yoo’s victory was also seen as consolidating Saenuri chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung’s control of the party. Kim is known to be a longtime rival of Park.

Meanwhile, Park kicked off her third year in office by holding a meeting with presidential staff.

She called for more efforts to initiate economic reform and prepare for inter-Korean unification.

The two-year anniversary comes as Park has suffered from deepening public distrust in recent weeks. Her approval ratings dipped below 30 percent last month.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)