President Roh Moo-hyun is finding it difficult to perform his presidential duties due to political regionalism and challenges from the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) regarding key administrative affairs, he said Monday.
In a letter to the members of the ruling Uri Party, the president said he is unwilling to bolt from the Uri Party to help eradicate regionalism in domestic politics and maintain the identity of the ruling party.
"I'm well aware of the enormous responsibilities and weight associated with presidential duties. But it is clear that under the current circumstances, I cannot normally function as the president of South Korea," Roh said in the letter posted on the Internet Web sites of Roh's office Cheong Wa Dae and the Uri Party.
The president is now on an 11-day swing through Southeast Asia and Oceania that began Sunday.
"The GNP has constantly challenged my administration's key policies and legislative efforts without presenting any clear policy alternatives. Such confrontation and the paralysis of state affairs has been caused by structural problems in South Korean politics -- namely, regionalism," he said.
The GNP is said to be heavily dependent on the southeastern provinces of Gyeongsang for its political power.
The president then reiterated his earlier objection to the Uri Party's move to merge with the minority Democratic Party, which has been heavily dependent on the southwestern provinces of Jeolla for its political survival.
"I feel deeply responsible for the difficulties faced by the Uri Party. But I'm clearly opposed to political regionalism pursued by the GNP as well as Uri Party leaders," said the president.
"The Uri Party has to further clarify its political identity in order to regain the people's support and win in the coming elections."
Roh and Uri leaders have publicly exchanged criticism of each other in recent weeks, prolonging their bilateral conflict.
On Friday, Roh's office reiterated that the president has no intention to bolt from the ruling party and denounced Uri Party Chairman Kim Geun-tae for distorting the president's vision for the future of the party.
Kim, who leads the ruling party's mainstream faction in favor of a merger with the Democratic Party and other political forces based in the Jeolla provinces, said at a party meeting Friday morning that Roh risked insulting his political supporters by seeking to sever ties with the Uri Party and joining hands with the GNP.
Roh and his supporters defected from the Democratic Party in late 2003 to create the Uri Party. In the face of a sharp drop in public approval, however, Uri Party leaders are now considering merging with the Democratic Party.
According to the latest opinion poll by a daily newspaper in Seoul, the popularity of the Uri Party has fallen to an all-time low of 8.8 percent, compared with more than 44 percent for the GNP.
Roh's approval rating has plummeted to slightly over 10 percent, the survey showed.
Seoul, Dec. 4 (Yonhap News)
Roh says political squabbling hampering his presidential duties |
