Korean president “really jealous” of PM Koizumi’s ability to “gamble”

Asahi Daily, August 24, 2005, 8:23pm:

“I am so jealous of how Prime Minister Koizumi was able to take the gamble of dissolving parliament for the sake of reform,” South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun revealed on August 24th to a reporter on the presidential beat.

While the Korean president controls both the national government and international diplomacy, he is prohibited from uniting with any political party. His term is limited, and he has no power to dissolve the parliament. Invoking Prime Minister Koizumi’s situation, he fumed about how due to the inability of the ruling and opposition parties to work together, attempts at reform have stagnated.

“What the hell is the president of Korea? I can’t even risk my party or my job,” he whined, while expressing his desires. “A great flood can sometimes change the course of it’s own river. I want to make fundamental changes in the political structure and culture [of South Korea].”

2 thoughts on “Korean president “really jealous” of PM Koizumi’s ability to “gamble””

  1. Yesterday ,one of korean opposition party lawmaker insisited that
    President Roh should be resign from his current post
    What the hell was he talking? He suggested some reasons why he
    should quit his job.The sooner he retire from his job,the more possibility of recovery of korean economy…And this congressman also mentioned that “this government is just Populism Government which is imitating Robinhood ,distributing national wealth to The Poor snatching from the Haves”

    So ridiculous!!!! what do you think of it?

  2. I don’t really know Korean politics too well, but I did see in the Japanese newspapers today that Roh said he is willing to design or shorter his term if it will aid reform. Of course, I have absolutely no idea how those two things are linked.

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