President Park Geun-hye speaks during a meeting with the ruling Saenuri Party's floor leader Lee Wan-koo, left, and his counterpart Park Young-sun of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday. / Yonhap



By Kang Seung-woo

President Park Geun-hye invited opposition leaders Thursday to join her unification preparatory committee.

Her proposal came during a meeting with four parliamentary leaders of both the ruling and main opposition parties at Cheong Wa Dae — the first of its kind since she took office in February 2013.

Participants were the floor leader of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD), Park Young-sun, and chief policymaker Woo Yoon-keun, as well as their Saenuri Party counterparts Lee Wan-koo and Joo Ho-young.

"In order for the government and National Assembly to make joint preparations for unification, President Park proposed each party's chief policymaker join the unification committee," the NPAD floor leader said at a press conference in the National Assembly.

Park revealed her plan for the committee in a national address on the first anniversary of her inauguration as part of a blueprint for a unified Korea.

The initiative underscores her commitment to inter-Korean unification that she has prioritized this year, describing it as a possible economic "bonanza" for South Korea as well as a "blessing" for neighboring nations.

The President is expected to shortly announce 50 members of the committee that will include not only bureaucrats but also private experts and civic activists.

North Korea has consistently called for the South to scrap or ease sanctions imposed in May 2010 that forbid all inter-Korean cooperation except for activities at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex. The sanctions were imposed by the then-Lee Myung-bak administration two months after a North Korean submarine sank a South Korean naval ship with a torpedo in March 2010.

The NPAD floor leader asked the President to lift the sanctions for better inter-Korean ties and she replied, "I will consider it in recognition of the humanitarian nature of the issue."

Park also said she recognized the need for an inter-Korean summit to help resolve knotty issues facing the two Koreas; but gave no details on this, only saying she would push for her own unification initiative.

Under fire for failing to be more communicative, Park showed her intention to talk more with National Assembly members, proposing a regular meeting with all party leaders.

"President Park suggested a meeting with floor leaders and chief policymakers on a regular basis," Lee said.

"She asked us to give a response after bipartisan discussions. The next meeting is expected to be held in September."

The Saenuri Party floor leader added that he would try to arrange a meeting between the President and NPAD Co-Chairmen Ahn Cheol-soo and Kim Han-gil in the near future.

"The President seemed to think the meeting would be positive although she did not leave a specific message," Lee said.

The NPAD floor leader also made a blunt demand.

"I asked the President to withdraw her nominations of Kim Myung-soo for education minister and Chun Sung-keun as culture minister and she said she would consider it," he said.

Kim is in hot water due to snowballing allegations of plagiarism and other ethical issues, while Chung is under pressure to step down for a drunk-driving offense committed in 2005, and involvement in real estate speculation in the early 2000s.