President Park Geun-hye will deliver a special speech to the nation at the National Assembly on Tuesday, calling for unity amid heightening inter-Korean strife following military provocations by the North.

Having come under fire from progressive critics for her hard-line policies, Park is expected to blame the parliament, urging the parties to expedite the passage of key bills.

“President Park has requested to be given the floor at the National Assembly to deliver a speech to the nation, calling the people to unite for the sake of national security,” said Kim Sung-woo, chief presidential secretary for public affairs on Sunday.

“(The speech) will be based on the president’s constitutional duty to protect the people from outside provocations.”

Park will also meet with leaders of the ruling Saenuri Party and The Minjoo Party of Korea, either before or after the speech, according to officials.
 

This is the first time that the president has volunteered a speech at the legislative body, except for regular administrative policy speeches regarding budget and overall administration.

Since North Korea launched a long-range rocket on Feb. 7, Park has mostly refrained from speaking directly on the issue except for her immediate reaction following the test.

“The United Nations Security Council should promptly come up with powerful disciplinary actions,” the president said at the National Security Council meeting on the day of the provocation.

With Park’s support, the administration moved fast to respond to the North.

The Defense Ministry immediately started discussions on deploying the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile system in South Korea, after months of avoiding the issue as its introduction is strongly opposed by China and Russia.

Later last week, the Unification Ministry shut down the inter-Korean industrial park in Gaesong.

While the government’s stern measures were welcomed by the U.S. and Korean hard-liners, Park’s lack of sufficient explanation has not been received kindly by the public, observers said.

“President Park has no consideration for international politics,” said former Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun.

“Diplomacy and international politics should not be approached in black-and-white logic.”

Cheong Wa Dae, however, is set to use the outside risk as an opportunity to make a breakthrough.

“The president will underline the importance of the parliament’s legislative function, especially in times of trouble, and urge for the swift passage of the terrorism prevention bill, North Korean human rights bill and the labor reform bills,” Kim said.

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