Although the Uri Party and the Grand National Party are battling hard before in the May 31 elections, their policies are similar in 12 out of 20 categories, according to a questionnaire sent to the headquarters of the five political parties by the National Election Committee on Monday.
Only in two categories did the two major rivals show opposite positions. The two parties did not give clear answers on six categories.
Both said that a free trade agreement with the United States should be concluded as soon as possible, the election committee survey found.
In addition, the two parties supported the idea of expanding employment of foreign workers.
The Uri Party conditionally supported the approval of reproductive cloning, something the Grand National Party opposed.
The Grand National Party wants to adopt a system in which high schools are graded and ranked, something the Uri Party opposes.
Experts say both parties will not hesitate to copy popular policy positions held by the other party.
A Grand National Party member, Yun Kun-young, took a different view. “It is amazing how the two parties’ major policies are similar,” Mr. Yunsaid. “This means that both parties understand what the people want.”
Song Young-gil of the Uri Party said the era in which parties designed policies based on ideology has gone.
The Grand National Party, which was famous for its conservative stands, particularly on North Korea, said it supports humanitarian aid from local governments.
“It is a trend that the political parties have more interest in practical issues than in ideological issues,” said Kang Won-taek, a professor at Soongshil University.
The JoongAng Ilbo in November analyzed 37 policies of both parties in five categories, with help from a research team from Soongshil University. The study showed that both parties’ views on most issues were narrowing.


by Shin Yong-ho, Namkoong Wook

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