Time for President Park to go
Time’s up. Events over the weekend in South Korea confirmed that scandal-hit President Park Geun-hye had been “impeached by citizens”, as the National Assembly fine-tunes plans for a vote to make it official.
Most South Koreans no longer regard Park as their president, with polls showing that 24 out of every 25 citizens do not support her. On Saturday, about 1.9 million – 3.6 per cent of the population – took to the streets nationwide in a historic rally to demand her resignation.
It is hard to deny that the country is approaching election mode, though the primary demand now – of both conservatives and liberals – is either for Park’s resignation or for her speedy impeachment.
Numerous rumours surround the identity of her successor. Outgoing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is one name in the frame.
The speculation is that President Park is considering resigning in the coming weeks to coincide with the end of Ban’s UN tenure on December 31. Her ruling Saenuri Party is said to be struggling to delay the timing of the impeachment bill in the face of demands from the parliamentary opposition.
If Park is really postponing her resignation so as to pass the baton in a timely banner to Ban, Saenuri could face an even greater backlash from voters. The party’s approval rating has dropped below that of the two main opposition parties.
In a way, the 2017 presidential race has already kicked off, with the activities and remarks by presidential hopefuls such as Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party of Korea and Ahn Cheol-soo of the People’s Party gaining attention. Ban has also signalled that a campaign is drawing near.
As for Park, the only thing she can do for the people is yield her authority as quickly as possible. She should now designate her departure date in one last televised apology to the nation.
It should be made early this week at the latest.
Prosecutors describe Park and her secret confidante, Choi Soon-sil, as co-culprits in the scandal. They are accused of coercing top Seoul firms to donate over $60 million to non-profit foundations which Choi then used for personal gain. Park yesterday refused prosecutors’ demands for a face-to-face interview.
An offer to quit on a designated date would nullify the impeachment move and make it possible for her to ask the prosecution to further delay her summons.
Meanwhile citizens will likely continue to stage rallies calling on the Constitutional Court to launch a fast-track procedure to drive her out.
Her ouster is only a matter of time, and voters are closely watching the movements of potential presidential candidates.
Park has no right to enjoy an honorary retreat. The serious allegations of lawbreaking against her can be attributed mainly to failures in personal ethics.
