All eyes in political circles are on whether and when Saenuri Party floor leader Yoo Seong-min will resign from his post in what should be a move to end deepening discord in the ruling camp.
Yoo has not clarified his stance since the National Assembly failed to put a bill designed to strengthen its oversight over the administration’s authority to enact ordinances to a revote Monday. The ruling Saenuri Party, which has 160 seats in the 300-member parliament, boycotted the vote on whether to override President Park Geun-hye’s veto of the bill that had been passed by the legislature in May.
Exercising her veto power for the first time in her presidency last month, Park criticized the Saenuri floor leader for agreeing with the main opposition party on the bill, which she described as unconstitutional. Though stopping short of calling out Yoo by name, the president said he was to blame for pursuing his own political interests and hampering the implementation of state affairs.
Pro-Park lawmakers in the ruling party have since called on Yoo to quit, while some legislators close to him have encouraged him to hold on to his post.
The Saenuri floor leader, whose term expires in May, may feel it is unjust for him to be put under pressure to step down. It might have been somewhat inevitable for him to accept the opposition’s demand to revise the parliamentary law in return for its support for reforming civil service pensions. Perhaps Saenuri lawmakers should feel ashamed that they boycotted the revote on the bill they had originally endorsed by an overwhelming majority.
Yoo said Tuesday he would follow the conclusion to be reached at a meeting of party lawmakers that will convene Wednesday. Saenuri chairman Kim Moo-sung said the meeting would seek to adopt a resolution recommending his resignation. Yoo would do better to resign voluntarily in the form of accepting the recommendation. This seems an inevitable and reasonable choice to help settle the prolonged dispute that threatens to divide the ruling camp.
For its part, the pro-Park faction, which had set Monday as the deadline for Yoo’s departure, may need more time ― until the parliamentary approval of a supplementary budget submitted by the government last week ― to allow him a less disgraceful exit.
A voluntary resignation is more likely to help Yoo keep his parliamentary seat in next April’s general election and push ahead with his move to widen the center ground in confrontational politics.
