Citizens vote during the midterm elections 07 November, 2006, at a polling station located in an car dealership in Glendale, California, 10 miles (16.6 km) north of Los Angeles,California. Republican control of Congress is in the balance today as voters cast their ballots across the nation. Democrats mining public discontent over President George W. Bush's war in Iraq battled to break the Republican stranglehold in Congress Tuesday, as millions of Americans went to the polls. Democratic leaders predicted they would recapture the House of Representatives for the first time since 1994, but needed to pull off a less likely clean sweep of battleground seats to seize the Senate. AFP PHOTO / Robyn BECK



Racing for Presidential Election?

Three candidates of the major opposition GNP have already stepped into the race for president. Former chairwoman of the GNP Park Geun Hye, a GNP-affiliated former Seoul mayor Lee Myung Bak, and former Kyonggi Province governor Sohn Hak-kyu, have criticized each other's public pledges for presidential election. Park criticized her big rival Lee yesterday after Lee announced one of his pledges, construction of a canal between Seoul and Busan.

Park said, “The main source for building national competitiveness in the 21st century is knowledge and information. The era when construction and factory-oriented economics supported the national economy and public livelihood has already gone.” Lee earned his public popularity from restoring Chuggyechon (stream) in Seoul while he was mayor.

Park strongly criticized him, saying, “Constructing a canal between the two major cities is not an economic policy, but a construction blueprint. It is his personal design,” adding, “I do not think construction is an axis of economic policy.”

Sohn stressed the importance of improving the national constitution rather than development, saying, “I represent the future of the GNP.” He explained his statement during an interview with CBS radio, saying, “The statement is my promise to the public and my pledge to myself that my role is making a new GNP.”

Regarding criticism from his competitors, Lee said, during an interview with MBC radio, “Constructing the canal will produce surprising economic by-products, and environmental problems can be resolved.”
/ 입력시간: 2006. 11.08. 09:13