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By Park Si-soo
President Park Geun-hye seems determined to ignore mounting calls for her resignation.
Her snap nomination of a new Prime Minister, Finance Minister and Public Safety and Security Minister on Wednesday morning reflects her "firm determination" to hold on to her position as head of state despite the growing Choi Soon-sil scandal that has pushed her leadership to the brink of collapse, according to experts.
Park's approval rating plunged to a single digit in a recent poll, which experts said indicates that her leadership is in a state of "death."
Park's nomination of Kim Byong-joon, who served as a senior presidential policy advisor during the liberal Roh Moo-hyun administration, as the new Prime Minister is considered a maneuver to placate mounting public anger and a gesture of accepting opposition parties' suggestions that the conservative President form a politically neautral new Cabinet with her political foes.
"The new Prime Minister will be given an extensive scope of authority," a ranking Cheong Wa Dae official was quoted as saying, indicating that Kim, if endorsed by the National Assembly, will become a de facto No.1 of the administration, while President Park remains a toothless, symbolic head of state with limited influence on state affairs such as diplomatic and security issues.
But the official noted that Park's "cooperation and respect" are necessary to launch the Prime Minister-centered governing system. In other words, with the constitutional right to govern the country in Park's hands, the new governing system could easily fail unless Park makes a public promise to respect the system.
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"The reshuffle reflects (Park's) strong will and determination to normalize the government amid a political turmoil," said Kim Sung-won, a spokesman for the ruling Saenuri Party. "The reshuffle will help the country overcome the scandal. We expect opposition parties' cooperation as a responsible member of the country."
Choo Mi-ae, head of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, lashed out at the reshuffle, calling it a "political gimmick" to tide Park over the crisis and keep her in office.
The opposition leader made it clear that her party will oppose the endorsement of the nominees for Prime Minister, Finance Minister and Public Safety and Security Minister.
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