KOREA: Change of stance on media initiative hurts 'election lady'

Pollsters says public approval for the former GNP chairwoman decreased after she withdrew her dissent from the media bills when the GNP included her recommendations

The Korea Times
Wednesday, July 29, 2009

By Kang Hyun-kyung

The results of multiple recent public opinion surveys show that former Grand National Party (GNP) Chairwoman Park Geun-hye is unrivaled among 292 sitting lawmakers in terms of popularity and trustworthiness, hinting that many see Park as a viable candidate for the 2012 presidential election.

The latest poll, however, finds that there has been a noticeable change in the support for the former chairwoman after she switched her position on bills aimed at reshaping the media industry.

Initially, she had been against the bills but changed her position after the GNP made amendments shortly before the vote.

The Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI) found that 60.3 percent of those polled were disappointed by Park's switch in position on the bills, which were passed in the National Assembly last week amid a brawl. Only 33.7 percent said Park's action was understandable.

The survey of 1,000 people, conducted earlier this week, has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.

Another survey shows that support for Park slid to 28 percent in July, from 40 percent a month ago.

Pollsters say the decrease was related to the shift of her position on the disputed measures.

"Park enjoyed wide support not only from pro-GNP groups, but also from those who oppose the ruling camp. Some of the latter group stopped backing the former GNP chairwoman after she switched her position on the media bills," said Yoon Hee-woong, research team leader of the KSOI.

Yoon predicted that Park's overall popularity among politicians would not be largely affected by the recent plunge.

Earlier, Park opposed the GNP-led media bills, which will allow cross-ownership among newspapers and television stations to facilitate technology convergence. She said at the time that if she were to participate in the plenary session, it would be to cast a ballot against them.

Park urged the ruling party to continue attempts at inter-party negotiations to reach a bipartisan agreement before seeking a vote.

Her remarks alarmed the GNP as she has 40 to 50 followers inside the ruling party, enough to frustrate its plan to pass the measures. The ruling party hurriedly amended the bills to include Park's recommendations.

After getting the nod from its former chairwoman, the ruling party pushed for a vote, amid criticism from the opposition parties.

Rep. Park was not in the Assembly's main chamber when voting took place.

After the measures were passed, criticism erupted, with opponents alleging that she flip-flopped.

The former GNP chairwoman has not commented on the matter.

Rep. Yoo Jeong-bok, who is close to Park, said that a comment was not imminent because she rarely gives her personal opinions on individual issues.

"It is inappropriate to say that Park flip-flopped on the media reform plans because she made it clear that she disagreed with the way that the GNP handled inter-party negotiations, not the media initiative itself," he told The Korea Times.

Asked why Park was not present in the Assembly chamber while voting took place, Yoo said that the representative had tried to make it but couldn't due to the chaos caused by the opposition.

Date Posted: 7/29/2009