[EDITORIALS]Infantile indeed

Fourteen lawmakers and officeholders of the United Liberal Democrats, including its vice presidents, chief policymaker, floor leader and secretary general, stormed the office of the Grand National Party on Monday. The move reminded us how low the level of our politics is. The rowdy barrage staged by the two opposition parties over the impeachment of the prosecutor general is more childish than the failed attempt to vote on the impeachment at the National Assembly two days ago.

The senior ULD politicians rushed the GNP offices because the GNP leader, Lee Hoi-chang, accused the Liberal Democrats of waffling on the impeachment bill. ULD President Kim Jong-pil reportedly took great umbrage at the criticism. The ULD demanded that the Grand National Party apologize, to no avail.

Our politicians are known to have no shame, but emotional strife has gone too far. The misconduct of the United Liberal Democrats deserves to be criticized sharply. We are not saying that Mr. Lee's criticism of the United Liberal Democrats as "infantile" was appropriate, but the ULD politicians made laughingstocks of themselves.

Mr. Kim has shown no principles or beliefs since this administration began. He did not try to sort out the rights and wrongs of the fuss over the impeachment bill. Mr. Kim flip-flopped on the introduction of a parliamentary cabinet system and a coalition with the ruling party. Once Mr. Kim proposed to support a presidential candidate from the Gyeongsang provinces; soon after, he said he would run for president himself. He demanded that Prosecutor General Shin Seung-nam resign, but reversed himself as his relationship with the Grand National Party became ugly. He is in no position to criticize anyone.

We understand Mr. Kim's political problem. Presidential candidates from the two major parties have a following in the Chungcheong province, his political base, and he feels his power slipping away. Still, he should have restrained himself. The time for political maneuvering has passed. Conversely, as a leader of the majority opposition party, Mr. Lee can show some political generosity to the United Liberal Democrats.