By Kang Seung-woo
President Park Geun-hye is losing her grip on the administration of state affairs in the wake of a corruption scandal involving her close aides.
The "Sung Woan-jong list" that named high-profile politicians, including Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo and presidential chief of staff Lee Byung-kee, who allegedly accepted bribes from him, is bringing political paralysis to the country.
Sung, the chairman of Keangnam Enterprises, died in an apparent suicide after leaving the list.
Although President Park ordered the prosecution to conduct a thorough investigation into the graft scandal, Sunday, Cheong Wa Dae has refrained from commenting on the issue.
In a bid to fight corruption, she vowed again Thursday that anyone who is found to be involved in any illicit activities will face the consequences without exception.
Park's biggest political hurdle would appear to be the besieged prime minister, because Lee is leading the government's ambitious anti-corruption campaign.
The Kyunghyang Shinmun, which interviewed Sung hours before his death, reported Tuesday that the businessman said he had given Lee 30 million won ($27,000) during the 2013 by-elections, when Lee ran for a parliamentary seat representing Buyeo, South Chungcheong Province.
Park has set her sights on fighting graft as part of strengthening her control because the April 16, 2014 sinking of the ferry Sewol, which hit her administration hard, was blamed on collusive ties between ferry operators, regulators and politicians.
In addition, Park's plans to reform the debt-heavy pension system for civil servants and the stiff labor market are also expected to hit a snag amid intensifying political attacks from opposition parties. The processing of economy-related bills pending before the National Assembly is also not on the cards in the short-term.
"President Park has run into a huge problem. Those who are mentioned in the note are linked to the President, so the government will inevitably see its reputation damaged," said Yoon Hee-woong, a senior researcher at Opinion Live.
"The anti-corruption campaign is a tool for Park to break through the current critical situation, but with the prime minister involved in the scandal, she is losing momentum."
Along with the Lee, the presidential chief of staff's link to the scandal is another blow to Park.
Should additional disclosures regarding the chief of staff come out, all three of Park's "right-hand men" — who also include Kim Ki-choon and Huh Tae-yeol — could be downed by the corruption scandal. Specific amounts given to Kim and Huh were noted in the Sung memo.
Park's personnel appointments are sure to once again be the subjects of criticism.
"In the past two years, President Park could not grab a proper opportunity to flex her muscles in state affairs due to the Sewol sinking and the National Intelligence Service's involvement in the presidential election, and this corruption scandal may prevent her from concentrating on state affairs as well," said a lawmaker from the ruling Saenuri Party.
The scandal is taking place in the lead-up to the April 29 by-elections, with four parliamentary seats up for grabs — a general election will be held next year.
Yoon said that the incident has set up a favorable environment for the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy.
"So far, a split in the opposition camp was the main issue, but the scandal has shrouded the division," he said.
"With still a year before the general election, the scandal may extend further and adversely affect the ruling party."
President Park Geun-hye is losing her grip on the administration of state affairs in the wake of a corruption scandal involving her close aides.
The "Sung Woan-jong list" that named high-profile politicians, including Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo and presidential chief of staff Lee Byung-kee, who allegedly accepted bribes from him, is bringing political paralysis to the country.
Sung, the chairman of Keangnam Enterprises, died in an apparent suicide after leaving the list.
Although President Park ordered the prosecution to conduct a thorough investigation into the graft scandal, Sunday, Cheong Wa Dae has refrained from commenting on the issue.
In a bid to fight corruption, she vowed again Thursday that anyone who is found to be involved in any illicit activities will face the consequences without exception.
Park's biggest political hurdle would appear to be the besieged prime minister, because Lee is leading the government's ambitious anti-corruption campaign.
The Kyunghyang Shinmun, which interviewed Sung hours before his death, reported Tuesday that the businessman said he had given Lee 30 million won ($27,000) during the 2013 by-elections, when Lee ran for a parliamentary seat representing Buyeo, South Chungcheong Province.
Park has set her sights on fighting graft as part of strengthening her control because the April 16, 2014 sinking of the ferry Sewol, which hit her administration hard, was blamed on collusive ties between ferry operators, regulators and politicians.
In addition, Park's plans to reform the debt-heavy pension system for civil servants and the stiff labor market are also expected to hit a snag amid intensifying political attacks from opposition parties. The processing of economy-related bills pending before the National Assembly is also not on the cards in the short-term.
"President Park has run into a huge problem. Those who are mentioned in the note are linked to the President, so the government will inevitably see its reputation damaged," said Yoon Hee-woong, a senior researcher at Opinion Live.
"The anti-corruption campaign is a tool for Park to break through the current critical situation, but with the prime minister involved in the scandal, she is losing momentum."
Along with the Lee, the presidential chief of staff's link to the scandal is another blow to Park.
Should additional disclosures regarding the chief of staff come out, all three of Park's "right-hand men" — who also include Kim Ki-choon and Huh Tae-yeol — could be downed by the corruption scandal. Specific amounts given to Kim and Huh were noted in the Sung memo.
Park's personnel appointments are sure to once again be the subjects of criticism.
"In the past two years, President Park could not grab a proper opportunity to flex her muscles in state affairs due to the Sewol sinking and the National Intelligence Service's involvement in the presidential election, and this corruption scandal may prevent her from concentrating on state affairs as well," said a lawmaker from the ruling Saenuri Party.
The scandal is taking place in the lead-up to the April 29 by-elections, with four parliamentary seats up for grabs — a general election will be held next year.
Yoon said that the incident has set up a favorable environment for the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy.
"So far, a split in the opposition camp was the main issue, but the scandal has shrouded the division," he said.
"With still a year before the general election, the scandal may extend further and adversely affect the ruling party."
