Gov's uses new tactic in Sewol PR war By Kang Seung-woo  The government and ruling party may take a two-pronged approach against their opposition in a public relations duel in regards to the Sewol tragedy — highlighting what they claim is an act of negligence, while speaking to the families of the ferry disaster victims. Prime Minister Chung Hong-won addressed the nation, calling on the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) to return to the National Assembly to approve a number of pending bills related to improving living standards for the country's people and improving the national economy. Chung followed Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan and other key policymakers, who used their strong sway in a joint statement Tuesday to bring the opposition party back to the parliament. President Park Geun-hye also pleaded with the National Assembly to pass a set of bills intended to revive the nation's sluggish economy in the current session scheduled to expire on Sunday. The NPAD has staged a street rally since Tuesday to protest the ruling Saenuri Party's opposition to its proposed deal, which would end the stalling of the "Sewol bill." "I urge the National Assembly to follow through on its duty and listen to the government's continual pleas to live up to the expectations of the people," Chung said. Among other things, the bills call for more welfare payments for 400,000 low-income citizens and the creation of a fund promoting the growth of small businesses. "Not a single bill has been passed since May, leading many people to feel a sense of frustration and lethargy," Chung said. The rival parties have been wrangling for months over details of the special bill, which would send a special investigative team to uncover the cause of the maritime accident on April 16 that left more than 300 people dead or missing. Facing increasing pressure to end its street rallies, the NPAD's outdoor protest is losing steam although the party plans to continue the sit-in until Saturday. The latest blow to the hard-line approach came from the bereaved families of the students who died in the ferry disaster when they urged the party Thursday to return to the negotiating table. In addition, worsening public opinion of the street rally is also becoming a burden on the party. According to a survey released by the local daily Chosun Ilbo on Thursday, 64.5 percent of respondents opposed the protest outside the Assembly and 78.5 percent said any pending bills that have nothing to do with the ferry sinking should be separately passed. As for the approval rating, the NPAD registered 23.3 percent on Monday, but dropped to 16.6 percent on Thursday. Voices against the street rally are emerging within the NPAD, as the number of party members who participated in the street rally has sharply decreased from 80 on Tuesday to 40 on Thursday, as well. Bae Jong-chan, chief director at political pollster Research and Research, said that the NPAD needs to return to the Assembly to regain public trust in the party. "To restore its damaged reputation, the NPAD is required to process bills that are aimed at helping people's livelihood, while strategically and effectively pushing the ruling party and the president to accept the demands from the victims' families," he said. Bae expects that the rival parties are likely to process the special bill around the Chuseok holidays. "There may be public complaints that lawmakers are neglecting other bills aimed at improving the living standards for people and reviving the economy," he said.