By Park Song-wu
Staff Reporter


Members of the Uri Party said Wednesday they would focus on addressing economy-related bills by postponing plans to pass the four ``reform’’ bills that have caused an acute confrontation with its rival Grand National Party (GNP).

The ruling party’s reshuffling of policy priorities came the same day as the National Assembly resumed its operation after a two-week-long shutdown with the GNP accepting Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan’s expression of regret over his scathing remarks against the conservative party.

``We must not be in too much of a hurry to push those reform bills through,’’ Uri Party chairman Lee Bu-young told party members. ``Marking the first anniversary of our party, we really need to review our policies.’’

Loyalists to President Roh Moo-hyun created the Uri Party on Oct. 11 last year and later won the April polls to become the 151-member majority party in the 299-seat unicameral parliament.

``We can’t achieve our goals by only pushing hard reform plans because there are currently no signs of the economy improving and no signs of a breakthrough in disrupting Pyongyang’s nuclear policy,’’ Lee said. ``It is necessary to rearrange our priorities as people now want to see us picking up bills related with their livelihood.’’

The GNP also intends to discuss with the Uri Party measures of enhancing the economy, if the ruling camp decides to delay unilaterally addressing its four reform bills.

``They have to withdraw plans to railroad those bills,’’ Rep. Kim Deog-ryong, floor leader of the GNP, said. ``I believe there will be a better chance for compromise through negotiations.’’

Both parties have argued over the four bills, designed to annul the National Security Law, review the nation’s modern history, regulate the media market and the management of private schools.

Even though the Assembly resumed its work, the two main parties are expected to wrestle with each other for a while to reach a compromise on the resumption of the interpellation session, which was halted on the first day of its five-day session on Oct. 28 due to Lee’s calling the GNP as a party of bribes.

One of the available options the two parties were discussing was to compress it into a three-day event, which will include this weekend, while beginning the Assembly’s special session earlier than scheduled to review the government’s budget bill, sources said.

im@koreatimes.co.kr