Rebellion against lame duck

President Lee Myung-bak, left, shakes hands with speaker Kang Chang-hee, after his speech to members of the 19th National Assembly, Monday, the first day of the parliament’s session. / Yonhap

Did foreign minister endorse staff’s criticism of Cheong Wa Dae’s Japan pact handling?

President Lee Myung-bak tried to patch up a rift exposed over the handling of a military pact with Japan, admitting to a “procedural” flaw Monday.

This came a day after a senior foreign ministry official blamed Cheong Wa Dae, in what could be seen as an “open rebellion” against the lame duck President, for its heavy-handed approach to the pact that would enable the two countries to share sensitive information on North Korea, among other things.

“We have already signed the same accord with 24 nations, including Russia, and will probably need to do so with China, too, in the future,” President Lee was quoted by presidential spokesman Park Jeong-ha as saying during the meeting with senior presidential secretaries.

“Cabinet ministers should make the details of any military pact public to help people understand what it is and clear up any misunderstanding.”

Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan told his staff that it was appropriate for the ministry to take responsibility for the latest hiccup rather than blame somebody else.

It was not clear whether Kim had endorsed his staff’s verbal attack on the presidential office in advance.

However, by all appearances, the damage was irrevocable because a senior presidential staff member was named in reports as the person who was responsible.

Calls are mounting for President Lee to sack ministers in charge of foreign policy and defense, holding them responsible. Cheong Wa Dae remained silent over the calls, saying it has no plan to replace them at the moment.

But the drive for a Cabinet reshuffle appeared to gain momentum as the leading presidential hopeful in the ruling camp expressed deep regret over the procedural flaw.

Rep. Park Geun-hye of the ruling Saenuri Party declined to answer if she believes Cabinet ministers of foreign policy and defense need to be sacked. But she said the issue “will be discussed” in great detail at a standing committee.

The Saenuri Party said that the current administration should let the next government decide on pending key state initiatives such as a fighter acquisition program and the privatization of Incheon International Airport.

Regarding the pact, Saenuri said that it would check the details, while the opposition parties want it scrapped.

Seoul and Tokyo were initially scheduled to sign the General Security of Military Information Act last Friday. But this was put off upon Seoul’s request an hour before the ceremony.

The senior foreign ministry official told reporters that it was not the ministry but the presidential office that was responsible for pushing to endorse the controversial military accord during a closed-door Cabinet meeting last week.

The official said the ministry had raised the issue of approving such a controversial pact at the closed-door meeting without letting the public know. But, that Cheong Wa Dae didn’t heed it and pushed approval at the Cabinet meeting.

He also indirectly criticized the defense ministry, which had advocated for the pact, for its onlooker’s attitude.

His remarks also indicated the three sides — Cheong Wa Dae and the foreign, and defense ministries — were engaged in a blame game as the controversial pact drew a severe backlash from the public.

President Lee was on a trip to Central and Latin America when Cabinet members endorsed the controversial agreement during the meeting.

Meanwhile, the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) urged President Lee to dismiss Prime Minister Kim Hwang-shik as well as the ministers. <The Korea Times/Kang Hyun-kyung>

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