May 16, 1961 coup was ‘inevitable’

Rep. Park Geun-hye of the ruling Saenuri Party smiles during a seminar organized by the Korea News Editor’s Association in Seoul, Monday. / Korea Times photo by Ryu Hyo-jin

Rep. Park defends father’s legacy but a tad less strongly

Rep. Park Geun-hye of the ruling Saenuri Party, the current frontrunner presidential candidate, defended the May 16, 1961 military coup by her father Park Chung-hee, describing it as an “inevitable choice.”

Park dismissed Ahn Cheol-soo, a computer vaccine maker whose popularity could make him a strong challenger, and Rep. Moon Jae-il, an opposition presidential candidate hopeful. “I don’t think anything particular about them,” she said.

“It was inevitable but the best choice at a time when the national security was in danger and the economy was in a shamble,” said the 60-year-old during a question and answer session with political editors, organized by the Korea News Editors’ Association.

In 2007, when she made her first bid for the presidency, she called it a “nation-saving revolution,” pointing out that the situation was extremely confusing and the North Korean threat was very real.

It is hard to compare her two statements and conclude that she is changing her view but it is certain that her present statement seems to be more rhetorically elaborate than five years ago.

This elaboration appears intended to embrace voters to the right of center.

Her late father’s legacy — a double-digit economic growth at the cost of democracy — has resurfaced as a hot potato as her rivals have politicized it to paint her as the daughter of a dictator.

Park, however, offered an apology for her father’s repression of political freedom while in power.

In an interview Monday, Rep. Kim Tae-ho of the ruling Saenuri Party, another bidder for the party’s presidential ticket, said there was no doubt that the May 16 event was a military coup aimed at overthrowing the then existing government, and as such cannot be justified.

The former governor of South Gyeongsang Province criticized Park for her positive interpretation of the incident, alleging her understanding of the historic event was flawed.

Presidential hopefuls of the main opposition Democratic United Party also attacked the late President Park in an attempt to discredit what they also called the daughter of a dictator.

The late Park, who was killed on Oct.26 in 1979 by the chief of the nation’s intelligence service, has topped polls as the most admired former president of our time.

Meanwhile, Rep. Park denied allegations that her brother and his wife were involved in the savings bank scandal. “If they had any problems regarding the scandal, the prosecution would have summoned them. But no such thing has occurred so far,” she said.

Seo Hyang-hee, Park’s sister-in-law, had allegedly provided legal referral services for the embattled Samhwa Savings Bank for two years before the bank went bankrupt.

Regarding the massive state-sponsored projects, such as the purchase of fighter jets, Rep. Park called for putting off those plans to the next government.

She said pushing such programs under the current government, which has only seven months left, could prompt policymakers to go for hasty decisions.

Regarding the failed vote on the arrest motion for Rep. Chung Doo-un, Park said she did not think the vote would fail. <The Korea Times/Kang Hyun-kyung>

news@theasian.asia