Lee calls for parliamentary approval of defense reform bills

SEOUL, June 23 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak met with members of the National Assembly's defense committee Thursday and asked for cooperation in getting parliamentary approval for a set of reform bills aimed at helping South Korea's armed forces to better cope with North Korean provocations, an official said.
The Cabinet approved the bills last month and sent them to parliament for approval. The reform plans center on making the military's command structure more efficient, giving the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff more power to control the Army, Navy and Air Force.
Reforming the military has been one of the top policy goals of the Lee government. Calls for reform have spiked since the military bungled its response to the North's two deadly attacks last year.
"I made the invitation to ask for more active cooperation for defense reform," Lee told the lawmakers during the lunch meeting, according to senior presidential spokesman Kim Du-woo. "Along with the defense reform, we need to pay more attention to welfare programs for career officers."
A total of 11 lawmakers from the ruling Grand National Party and minor opposition groups attended the meeting. But members of the main opposition Democratic Party did not attend it, saying it is not appropriate for them to meet with Lee ahead of the president's talks with party leader Soh Hak-kyu set for Monday.
jschang@yna.co.kr