Park instructs aides to hurry laying groundwork for success

President Park Geun-hye instructed senior secretaries Monday to quickly lay the groundwork for the success of her administration, now that the parliamentary standoff over her government reorganization proposal has been resolved. Park made the remarks in a meeting with senior presidential secretaries a day after the rival parties reached a breakthrough in protracted negotiations on the contentious reorganization plan. Until now, the impasse has prevented the new government from operating normally. "The new government should pick up the pace in handling state affairs so as to stabilize the people's lives. As we get off to a late start, we should increase efficiently with a clear understanding of the directions and objectives of the government," Park said. "Just as a year of farming goes well only when good seeds are sown, I hope you will work with the determination to sow good seeds for state affairs for the next five years," she said. Park, who took office on Feb. 25, was unable to fully form her Cabinet because the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) had refused to approve her government reorganization plans. The main sticking point was Park's plan to move oversight of cable channels, Internet TV and other broadcasting outlets from the watchdog Korea Communications Commission (KCC) to the science ministry, which is to be created under the reorganization bill. But the opposition party strongly opposed the idea, claiming it is an attempt to bring broadcasting firms under government control. Park has flatly denied the claim, saying the transfer would help the government handle IT and broadcasting issues more efficiently. On Sunday, the opposition party agreed to approve the bill in exchange for concessions from the ruling Saenuri Party on other political issues. The rival parties are expected to pass the reorganization bill through parliament later this week. In Monday's meeting, Park also renewed her commitment to her "economic democratization" campaign pledge, saying it is a key pillar of her economic policy. "Economic democratization" calls for reducing the concentration of economic power in the hands of conglomerates and narrowing the wealth gap as well as dealing with other economic inequalities. "It is important to create an environment where conglomerates and smaller firms coexist, where we make efforts to protect the interests of small shop owners and alley businesses and where anyone can get as much as they put in," she said. Park also said that the government must make sure not to confuse the public with inconsistent remarks or insufficient explanations on policies, referring to recent controversy over whether the government plans to raise cigarette prices. "A single policy can cause unexpected confusion or negative effects," she said. "We have to offer detailed explanations of all the procedures of decision-making and make our policies known to the public clearly so as to prevent this kind of thing from happening."