They are working hand in glove. The ruling party kneels tearfully appealing to the people; the president pays a visit to areas where the race is tight; and the government stirs the public with the "North Korean factor." When their tearful plea seemed to have some effect, they began frightening the citizens with "fear marketing." They have no regard for election laws or political morality. Indeed, they are shameless and terrifying.

On April 8, President Park Geun-hye visited Cheongju in Chungcheongbuk-do and Jeonju in Jeollabuk-do. The candidates for the April 13 parliamentary elections are in a tight race in both areas. The president, dressed in red, the color of the Saenuri Party, said, "I hope that the 20th National Assembly, for which an election is currently in progress, will become a completely transformed parliament." Her words were in line with "judgment on the National Assembly" and "judgment on the opposition party," which she had repeated since before the elections. Public officials cannot endorse or oppose any political party during the election period, needless to mention that the president, as the head of public officials, has an obligation to remain neutral in elections. President Park's blatant intervention in the elections is an act that shakes our constitutional order.

The day the president went ahead and paid her visit to the local constituencies, the Ministry of Unification announced that thirteen employees working at an overseas North Korean restaurant collectively escaped and entered South Korea. The ministry held an unscheduled press briefing at 5 p.m. on Friday. It is extremely unusual for the government to officially announce incidents of North Korean defectors before it has been released by the press. In the past, the government was reluctant to disclose that North Koreans had entered South Korea due to diplomatic friction with related countries and the safety of the family members remaining in the North. The latest incident is strongly tinged with traces of the "North Korean factor," which anyone can see was intended to influence the general elections. The Ministry of Unification practically stepped up as the supporter of the ruling party by holding inter-Korean relations, on which lies the fate of our people, hostage.

The Saenuri Party, which had remained humble for a while, has also changed to a more threatening attitude with the elections so imminent. On April 9, party leader Kim Moo-sung said, "If things (the election results from the perspective of the Saenuri Party) go wrong, our security barrier will collapse and the economy will suffer. The situation can be more difficult than during the Asian financial crisis. What the opposition parties are saying is like sugar concealing a lot of poison. If we eat it, the Republic of Korea will die." This was only three days after the Saenuri candidates in the Daegu area tearfully appealed to the people saying, "Even if you hate us, you can scold us once again." We can guess at the reason for the Saenuri Party's sudden change of attitude. The election prospects had changed from "The number of our seats can shrink to 135 (according to Kweon Seong-dong, who oversees the election committee's strategies, on April 4)" to "somewhere around 145 seats (spoken by Ahn Hyeong-hwan, election committee's spokesperson on April 10)." How little they must think of the voters to change their words like that in just a few days! They are virtually confessing that their tearful appeal was just a show with no sincerity.

The parliamentary elections are now just two days away. Cheong Wa Dae and the Saenuri Party have already deeply insulted the citizens with the worst ever candidate nominations. We hope that they will not insult the elections and offend the voters any longer.