The Friday meeting between President Park Geun-hye and the new floor leaders and chief policymakers of the three major political parties was a welcome first step toward collaboration in dealing with state affairs.
At the meeting, Park offered to meet with heads of the three parties every quarter, an overture that showed her attitude toward the opposition camp has changed following the ruling Saenuri Party’s humiliating defeat in the April 13 general election.
The president also demonstrated her intention to establish a new mode of governance by agreeing on a meeting between the finance minister and the top policymakers of the three parties to discuss pending economic issues.
The proposed meeting is a departure from the government’s current practice of holding policy consultations only with the ruling party.
In a similar vein, Park promised to share more information on the nation’s security and diplomatic issues with the two opposition parties, The Minjoo Party of Korea and the People’s Party.
At their first face-to-face meeting, Park and the leaders of the three parties also discussed other issues, including numerous deaths and illnesses believed to have been caused by toxic humidifier sterilizers.
In general, the president was more conciliatory toward opposition leaders than before. Her willingness to accept demands from the opposition parties or suggest compromises made the dialogue more productive.
For Park, cooperation with the opposition parties has become a must following the April election, as the ruling party lost its majority in the legislature.
To depart from politics as usual, the two opposition parties should also change. Especially, the Minjoo Party needs to throw away its obstructionism and be more willing to cooperate with the government and the ruling party.
At the Friday meeting, the opposition leaders failed to reciprocate the flexibility shown by Park. They simply reiterated their objection to the government’s campaign to reform the labor and public sectors.
Yet it is unrealistic to expect Park and the leaders of the three parties to resolve all knotty issues at their first meeting. To shift toward a collaborative politics, they need to build trust among themselves through repeated meetings.
Yet Park’s next meeting with opposition leaders is likely to be held in September at the earliest, as the Saenuri and Minjoo parties are planning to elect their new chairmen in August or early September.
As September is too far away, Park may need to meet with the floor leaders before then to sort out urgent issues, including the restructuring of ailing industries.
