A senior official of the ruling Saenuri Party announced his return to his post Tuesday, less than two weeks after he offered to step down over the parliament’s failure to pass a set of economic bills designed to improve the people’s livelihoods.
Rep. Kim Tae-ho, a member of the ruling party’s Supreme Council, offered to resign on Oct. 23, citing his apparent inability to contribute to the smooth running of parliamentary affairs.
His sudden resignation, coming less than four months after he was elected to the post in a national convention, caused a stir within the ruling party as few people had expected it.
Speculation was rife that the move may have been coordinated with the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in an attempt to weaken the power base of Saenuri Chairman Kim Moo-sung, who recently clashed with President Park Geun-hye over whether to begin discussions on a constitutional revision.
Others suggested that Kim Tae-ho could be seeking to boost his image as a potential presidential candidate in the next election scheduled for 2017. The Saenuri chairman is currently considered a leading presidential aspirant.
By law, Park cannot seek re-election after her single five-year term ends in early 2018.
“There was criticism that my resignation was impromptu and sudden, but that wasn’t the case at all,” Kim said in a press conference at the National Assembly. “I announced my resignation deploring the fact that there is a chief, but no responsibility in South Korean politics.”
Kim said he decided to return at the request of his colleagues, who urged him to remain in the party leadership and lead efforts to reform the party.
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If it is a path toward reviving the economy and reviving (debate on) a constitutional revision, I will take the path that leaves no regrets even if I lose everything,” he said. (Yonhap)
