President should seek Assembly's help for normalizing state affairs
President Park Geun-hye's second public apology for the Choi Soon-sil scandal was more sincere than the first one delivered Oct. 25. Instead of a cursory speech, this time she gave a more personal apology, shedding tears as she explained the background of her longtime friendship with Choi and vowed to live in solitude from now on. Choi was arrested and jailed Thursday over allegations of influence-peddling.
The second apology was also more responsible than the last one since she placed blame on herself for the scandal that has resulted in a nationwide call for her resignation. Most importantly, she finally responded to the rising calls for her to face questioning, saying that she will accept a prosecutorial investigation and even face questioning by an independent counsel. She also urged Cheong Wa Dae staff to cooperate with the prosecution's investigation.
Park's second apology cannot satisfy everyone, but at least it should be noted that she openly said that she was willing to be investigated, paving the way for the first sitting Korean head of state to face prosecutorial investigation. Park's public pledge to allow investigation of herself should be an occasion for the prosecution to do its utmost in uncovering the truth behind all the allegations involving the President and her friend of almost 40 years.
The President's national address is by no means enough to assuage the people's fury since it still lacked some crucial messages. First, she did not recognize the growing calls from citizens and opposition parties to step down. Instead she stressed a resumption of state affairs, urging the government to keep up with its duties. She didn't provide any explanation about her appointment of Prime Minister-nominee Kim Byong-joon, which is being contested by opposition parties. The worst part of the apology was when she defended her major policy slogans like "creative economy" and "cultural prosperity" despite snowballing allegations of Choi and her cronies' influence in relevant projects.
One survey showed that Park's job approval rating plummeted to 5 percent, which is the lowest for any South Korean president. It is even lower than the 6 percent of former President Kim Young-sam at the height of the financial crisis that hit the nation in the last phase of his presidency. With such a poor approval rating, Park has lost the credibility to govern.
The Park administration has been in a vegetative state since the outbreak of "Choi gate," but this cannot be allowed to continue, considering the grave situations of our economy and national security. The President said, "A presidency is limited by time but Korea must go on forever." It is time to start focusing more on how to get the country back on track. This is no time for the nation to be trapped by rage toward a weak and incompetent President. The country must move forward despite the failures and errors of the Park presidency.
The role of the National Assembly is crucial to normalizing state affairs. Cheong Wa Dae has proposed a meeting of the President and political leaders. The Democratic Party of Korea is calling for the withdrawal of the appointment of the prime minister nominee and a special prosecutorial investigation, and vows to push for the President's resignation if these conditions are not met.
All parties should put the people ahead of their own political interests and sit down with the embattled President to discuss how best to overcome this crisis. The President should more clearly explain how much authority she will give to the new prime minister and seek the parties' cooperation in getting the Assembly's approval for her nominee.
President Park Geun-hye's second public apology for the Choi Soon-sil scandal was more sincere than the first one delivered Oct. 25. Instead of a cursory speech, this time she gave a more personal apology, shedding tears as she explained the background of her longtime friendship with Choi and vowed to live in solitude from now on. Choi was arrested and jailed Thursday over allegations of influence-peddling.
The second apology was also more responsible than the last one since she placed blame on herself for the scandal that has resulted in a nationwide call for her resignation. Most importantly, she finally responded to the rising calls for her to face questioning, saying that she will accept a prosecutorial investigation and even face questioning by an independent counsel. She also urged Cheong Wa Dae staff to cooperate with the prosecution's investigation.
Park's second apology cannot satisfy everyone, but at least it should be noted that she openly said that she was willing to be investigated, paving the way for the first sitting Korean head of state to face prosecutorial investigation. Park's public pledge to allow investigation of herself should be an occasion for the prosecution to do its utmost in uncovering the truth behind all the allegations involving the President and her friend of almost 40 years.
The President's national address is by no means enough to assuage the people's fury since it still lacked some crucial messages. First, she did not recognize the growing calls from citizens and opposition parties to step down. Instead she stressed a resumption of state affairs, urging the government to keep up with its duties. She didn't provide any explanation about her appointment of Prime Minister-nominee Kim Byong-joon, which is being contested by opposition parties. The worst part of the apology was when she defended her major policy slogans like "creative economy" and "cultural prosperity" despite snowballing allegations of Choi and her cronies' influence in relevant projects.
One survey showed that Park's job approval rating plummeted to 5 percent, which is the lowest for any South Korean president. It is even lower than the 6 percent of former President Kim Young-sam at the height of the financial crisis that hit the nation in the last phase of his presidency. With such a poor approval rating, Park has lost the credibility to govern.
The Park administration has been in a vegetative state since the outbreak of "Choi gate," but this cannot be allowed to continue, considering the grave situations of our economy and national security. The President said, "A presidency is limited by time but Korea must go on forever." It is time to start focusing more on how to get the country back on track. This is no time for the nation to be trapped by rage toward a weak and incompetent President. The country must move forward despite the failures and errors of the Park presidency.
The role of the National Assembly is crucial to normalizing state affairs. Cheong Wa Dae has proposed a meeting of the President and political leaders. The Democratic Party of Korea is calling for the withdrawal of the appointment of the prime minister nominee and a special prosecutorial investigation, and vows to push for the President's resignation if these conditions are not met.
All parties should put the people ahead of their own political interests and sit down with the embattled President to discuss how best to overcome this crisis. The President should more clearly explain how much authority she will give to the new prime minister and seek the parties' cooperation in getting the Assembly's approval for her nominee.
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