Roh then said, “I think it is too difficult for you to carry out policies in this kind of situation,” and added, “No policy is going well. The bills and the budget for next year remain stalled.”

The president’s tongue has gotten looser recently: at a cabinet meeting on Nov.25, the president angered the opposition party when he compared the relationship between the president and the opposition party to “that of dog and cat.”

Roh asked the ministers to continue their efforts to have good relationships with lawmakers, saying that legislators aren’t resting even though the National Assembly is not in session. In order to avoid difficulties at the Assembly committees during the next session, the ministers need to meet and discuss with the issues with lawmakers in advance, Roh said.

The president told the ministers that they must accomplish their tasks with a special sense of duty, because the public and the ministers have had a difficult time. He requested that the ministers work hard to normalize the situation in the National Assembly as soon as possible, and to relieve public anxiety.

A spokesman of the opposition Grand National Party, Park Jin, said in response to Roh’s remarks that it was not good for the president, who has to respect the Assembly and opposition parties, to complain in front of his ministers. (Chung Woo-sang, imagine@chosun.com )