| Ruling party chairwoman Choo Mi-ae speaks in a press conference at the party headquarters, Tuesday. / Yonhap |
By Choi Ha-young
Ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairwoman Rep. Choo Mi-ae said Tuesday she is willing to assume a diplomatic role to mediate between the United States and North Korea.
"If the North makes a decision for peace and coexistence, the Moon Jae-in government and the DPK will actively respond to it," Choo said during a press conference.
"I and the DPK are determined to arrange dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington to coincide with the inter-Korean dialogue."
Choo called for a "soft landing" in tackling the denuclearization of North Korea. "The goal of (North Korea's participation in) the PyeongChang Winter Olympics is to gradually attract the country to dialogue. It is important not to lose sight of the drive of the talks."
The liberal chairwoman has consistently revealed peace overtures. In her parliamentary speech last September, Choo proposed to send special envoys to Washington and Pyongyang simultaneously, causing some dissonance with the Moon administration which had been keeping pace with international sanctions.
During a U.S. visit last November, she said "establishing U.S.-North Korea diplomatic ties will be discussed" once the North comes to the dialogue table.
In Tuesday's press conference, she urged the conservatives to abandon "hawkish" measures such as redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons. "The conservative opposition parties should break from the Cold War. I call for them to join hands with the Moon government's policy which has received widespread support from international society."
Regarding domestic affairs, she elaborated on "reform on rent" to relieve the financial burden of small business owners and young entrepreneurs. "Young entrepreneurs are suffering from mountainous rent," she said.
"How can they pioneer the Fourth Industrial Revolution with such an enormous burden? Conservatives are up in arms against the government's bid to raise the minimum wage, citing hardships of small business owners. However, the fundamental reason for economic polarization is not rising wages but reckless rising rents."
The ruling party will draw up a bill for a constitutional amendment by the end of this month, she noted. President Moon has promised to carry out a national referendum for the amendment in June, while opposition parties are against it.
Asked about the power structure ― the most contentious issue in the bipartisan talks over the new Constitution ― Choo backed a U.S.-style four-year two-term presidency. "The semi-presidential system doesn't fit in with the nation's reality," she said.