The head of the ruling Saenuri Party said Monday he will visit the United States next week to meet with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
“I have set a schedule to meet with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,” Saenuri Party Chairman Kim Moo-sung said at a press conference, without giving details about the date.
Kim said he will leave for Washington next Saturday and his itinerary will also include New York and Los Angeles.
“The U.S. is the most important ally to us,” Kim said, adding he will also meet with congressional leaders there to enhance bilateral ties.
The ruling party chief is also expected to meet with senior officials of the Barack Obama administration.
It marks the second overseas trip by Kim since taking office last year. Kim traveled to China in October.
Kim said he had originally planned to visit the U.S. earlier but rescheduled since the U.S. Congress is in session starting at the end of July.
Kim also stepped up calls for an open primary system, proposing that both the main and opposition parties adopt the system starting with next year’s general election.
“I again propose to the opposition party that both the ruling and the opposition implement the open primary system on the same day,” Kim said.
The leader also said that he will lead the party so that the people would not feel anxiety amid the political feud between President Park Geun-hye and Saenuri floor leader Yoo Seong-min, who stepped down from his post after accepting the party’s recommendation that he do so.
The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, meanwhile, said it is also open to discussing the open primary system.
“Our party supports the open primary system in principle and is also open to the possibility of simultaneously adopting the system,” said Kim Young-rok, the party’s chief spokesman.
Calls from both the main and opposition parties have mounted recently to adopt a full-scale open primary system instead of selecting candidates through party nominations. (Yonhap)
