Park Geun-hye Urges Opposition Party Unity at Lawmakers' Retreat

GOYANG — Former President Park Geun-hye called for a stronger fight against the government and greater internal unity at a retreat for People Power Party lawmakers, warning that "if you give up first, saying there is nothing a minority party can do, the people will also give up on you."

Park made the remarks on the 27th at a party retreat held at a hotel in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. "We are struggling as a minority opposition party, but if we face reality squarely and pool our strength, we can win back power," she said.

Pointing to recent infighting within the party, Park said the party must close ranks precisely because it is in the minority. "If we split while already outmatched by a majority, the outcome of that fight is a foregone conclusion," she said. "When fighting an enemy outside, nothing is as fearful as division within our own ranks." She added that while diverse views may emerge within a political party, members "must not hate or reject one another."

Park said she hoped the retreat would deepen a sense of comradeship. "The harder the times, the more we must move forward united around the leadership," she said, urging the leadership as well to "lead the party by discerning where the will of the people lies."

"People often talk about reform and innovation, but restoring the trust of the people is reform, and addressing what the people are hurting over and desperately want is innovation," she said. "If you make such efforts with sincerity, the people will find hope in you and give you a chance."

Park called on the People Power Party to take a more responsible role than the government and the ruling party on national security. "North Korea has already written its two-state theory into its constitution and declared South Korea a hostile state, while seeking recognition as a nuclear weapons state," she said. "In a situation like this, the People Power Party, as a conservative party, must approach matters with a more responsible attitude than the government and the ruling party."

She also said the economy cannot be stable without solid security. "Security is the foundation on which every field rests," she said. "If a hole opens up in security, nothing, including the economy, can remain intact."

On the economy, Park said there is no issue more important than making a living. "The government has recently assessed that our economy is recovering on the back of export growth and improving domestic demand," she said. "An economic recovery that the people do not feel is not a genuine recovery."

"The economy is not about numbers but about caring for people's lives," she added. "Upholding the values the Constitution aims for, while devising and carrying out feasible policies for the people, is the path to realizing justice."

It is unusual for a former president to attend a political party's retreat for lawmakers in person. The visit is seen as an attempt to use Park's symbolic weight to strengthen party cohesion at a time when internal conflict has continued — including heavy disciplinary action against four sitting lawmakers and a dispute over direct elections for district chapter chiefs — without a clear rallying point to settle it. The visit came about after floor leader Chung Jum-sik recently called at Park's private residence in Dalseong County, Daegu, to ask her to attend the retreat, and Park accepted.