Former prime minister to keep job as head of shared growth panel


Former Prime Minister Chung Un-chan said Monday he will continue to lead a nongovernmental panel for mutual growth of small and large companies a week after writing to President Lee Myung-bak offering to quit.

Chung’s decision comes after he, the ruling party’s coveted potential election candidate, received a “response” of some sort from the president on what support he will give the panel and possibly Chung’s political career.

“I have reaffirmed the president’s firm will for shared growth and the people’s support for it,” Chung said as he presided over a meeting of the Commission for Shared Growth of Small and Large Companies.

Chung said he had expected business circles to disapprove of his proposal for conglomerates’ “benefit-sharing” or “profit-sharing” with their subcontractors, but was “panic-stricken” by criticism from the government.

Knowledge Minister Choi Joong-kyung had berated as “unrealistic” Chung’s suggestion to give government contracts to businesses that use proceeds beyond their targets for vendors’ job security or technological development. Chung’s panel was set up at President Lee’s will and is partly funded by the ministry.

Complaining to the media about the lack of government support and resources to do his job as panel chief, Chung said he asked Cheong Wa Dae to clarify its position on businesses’ mutual growth.

But political observers believe the question was more about Chung’s political ambitions ― not just regarding the by-elections next month but also the general and presidential elections next year.

Cheong Wa Dae had already expressed its unshaken support for the commission after Chung began talking about resignation to the media prior to sending the letter to Lee. The president’s aides noted, however, that they were unhappy with the way Chung raised the issue.

Lee personally backs Chung as a potential candidate for at least one of the elections, according to Chung’s aides, but disagreements within the governing Grand National Party made Chung dubious about his dreams as a politician.

The parliamentary and local by-elections are only about a month away, but neither the GNP nor the main opposition Democratic Party has decided on a single candidate. At least three parliamentary seats are up for grabs next month, and two more are likely to be added soon once the Supreme Court upholds lower court rulings that annulled two lawmakers’ elections for violation of the law on political funds.

The GNP is reportedly tapping Chung as a match for the DP chairman Sohn Hak-kyu if Sohn decides to run in the by-elections next month.

Chung rose to political stardom for his criticism of government policies while serving as Seoul National University president. His supporters within the governing bloc are still mulling where and when he should make his election debut.

About the claims of Shin Jeong-ah, a disgraced former art professor convicted for fabrication of academic records and embezzlement, that Chung made “inappropriate moves” on her and offered her a job as SNU professor, Chung said he “never did anything dishonorable for the school or the title as SNU president.”

Some say he could have chosen to keep his current job as the nongovernmental panel chief to save his public reputation after what Shin said about him.

Chung’s commission for shared growth plans to focus mainly on two things for now ― announcing the marks of conglomerates for their efforts for mutual growth and selecting which industries are fit for small companies.

The panel evaluated 56 business giants last month based on the results of a regular quantitative assessment by the Fair Trade Commission and plans to disclose their rankings as early as next February. Conglomerates are highly sensitive about the announcement of who is doing more good for the smaller companies and are asking the government to grade them in levels.

By Kim So-hyun (sophie@heraldcorp.com)