Unable to form a government even after tens days since she took over as South Korea's President, Park Geun-hye appealed to the country's politicians on Thursday to give her a chance to serve the nation, and sought their cooperation to break the parliamentary impasse over her government reorganization bill.
"I think our political leaders should all once again reflect on their proper duties," she said addressing an annual gathering of Church leaders, known as the "National Prayer Breakfast."
Park repeatedly appealed to the main Opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) to help pass a pending bill aimed at creating new government ministries and offices, and reassign duties among existing ones. The Parliament deadlock stems from Opposition concerns that the government is trying to control the media by transferring some duties of the watchdog Korea Communications Commission (KCC) to the Science Ministry to be created under the bill.
While insisting that she has no such plans, Park said she would not compromise on what she says is a necessary move for the country's future.
"Our country is faced with an internal and external environment that is more difficult than ever," Park said, citing economic difficulties faced by the working class and heightened security concerns following North Korea's recent nuclear test and hostile threats.
"The new government was launched amid such difficult circumstances, but regretfully it hasn't even been able to start working properly," South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted her as saying.
The impasse, coupled with delay in the parliamentary confirmation of her Cabinet nominees, has created a vacuum in the running of state affairs since she was inaugurated as the country's first female President on February 25.
"The reason I wanted to become President was so that, in these difficult times, I could open an era in which people are happy and make (the giving of) hope and service to the people my last political journey," Park said and added that "the people expressed their confidence and trust (in that), and I would be grateful if our politicians could also trust the President and give (me) a chance to serve the nation."
Shortly after Park's address, her ruling Saenuri Party proposed a vote at the National Assembly to end the deadlock. Its floor leader Lee Hahn-koo suggested his party and the DUP ask Assembly Speaker Kang Chang-hee to put the bill to a vote using his authority to do so in exceptional circumstances.
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