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President Roh Moo-hyun on Tuesday lashed out at former Gyeonggi Province governor Sohn Hak-kyu, who has defected from the Grand National Party, likening him to a "huckster." Roh made the remarks in a Cabinet meeting with the press listening in. Sohn in turn slammed Roh as a ¡°typical incompetent progressive.¡± ¡°President Roh himself is an obstacle the nation has to overcome to initiate a new politics,¡± Sohn said.
At the start of the Cabinet meeting, Roh said, "I'm going to say something that is not insignificant. It doesn't conform to the principles of democracy if a politician defects from his or her own party just because he or she sees a slim chance of winning a primary for a presidential candidacy. It is an act that shakes the root of democracy if a politician splits up, defects from, or joins a party to win the nomination for the presidential election." He added anyone, progressive or conservative, who destroys or violates principles is ¡°unqualified¡± as a politician. ¡°If politicians do this to win elections or nominations for elections, then our country's politics cannot progress." He demanded, "If politicians conduct politics like hucksters, can the country develop properly?"
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President Roh Moo-hyun presides over a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday./Yonhap
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Although he did not specifically mention Sohn by name, Roh was clearly referring to the third-placed GNP hopeful, who a day earlier tearfully announced his departure from the party to strike out on his own. In a press conference on Monday, Sohn criticized both the GNP and the ruling camp, whom he called "incompetent progressives." In reply, Sohn said, "How can President Roh say that? He himself defected from the Democratic Party, which had helped him become president, and founded a new party. I wish the president would refrain from making political comments and concentrate his thoughts on how to improve people¡¯s economic circumstances."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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