Park's office urges National Assembly to pass gov't reorganization

The office of President Park Geun-hye urged Friday the National Assembly to approve her government reorganization bill by next Tuesday, as the parliamentary impasse over the bill is feared to take a toll on national security and other state affairs.

"The presidential office earnestly asks the National Assembly to pass the government reorganization bill by March 5, or before ending its extraordinary session," Park's spokeswoman Kim Haing told reporters.

The ruling Saenuri Party introduced the reorganization proposal, which calls for creating new government offices and reorganizing duties among existing offices, to parliament for approval late last month, but negotiations with the opposition Democratic United Party have failed to produce a compromise.

The deadlock, coupled with the still ongoing parliamentary confirmation process for Park's Cabinet nominations, forced her to take office without a new Cabinet earlier this week.

Park also skipped a weekly Cabinet meeting that would have marked her first since taking office.

One of the most contentious points in Park's proposal is one that calls for transferring some duties of the watchdog Korea Communications Commission to the ministry of future creation and science to be newly established under the new government.

The opposition party claims the proposed transfer would hurt the neutrality of broadcasting firms, while the ruling party says it will increase government efficiency. (Yonhap News)