Could Park head off post-election challenges?
There is one thing that clearly sets the incumbent Park Geun-hye administration apart from previous governments. In former times, it was customary for the President to conduct a big reshuffle of the cabinet or the presidential office when the ruling camp is hit by a crucial political event such as an election defeat.
One month after the stunning defeat of her Saenuri Party in the general election, however, President Park stopped at conducting a minor shakeup of Cheong Wa Dae Sunday, leaving her cabinet intact. Although the nation's first female head of state might reshuffle her cabinet ― possibly in June ― after returning from her Africa visit, it's doubtful if she could head off post-election challenges with such half-baked changes.
Under the reshuffle, President Park named Lee Won-jong, 74, a career bureaucrat, as her chief of staff, replacing Lee Byung-kee who had offered to quit holding himself responsible for the election defeat. She also appointed her senior presidential secretary for economic affairs An Chong-bum as her new chief secretary for policy coordination. Rep. Kang Seok-hoon of the governing Saenuri Party was named her chief economic aide to succeed An.
It's not difficult to reason what is meant by the latest Cheong Wa Dae shakeup. By tapping the new chief of staff who has abundant experience and knowledge in administrative affairs, President Park wants to keep her state affairs stable.
She also expressed her strong will to push for her national agendas, including structural reforms in labor and three other sectors, until the end of her tenure. The fact that President Park tapped An and Kang, economic experts, is a clear message that the presidential office will continue to take the initiative in carrying out economic policies.
But Sunday's change of the presidential secretariat falls far short of the will of the people, expressed in the April 13 parliamentary polls, that called for a broad-based renovation of state affairs and President Park's governing style.
First and foremost, Lee, who served as Seoul mayor once and North Chungcheong Province governor three times during his 50 years of public service, could be suitable if his role is confined to assisting the President. However, he may be tapped wrongly if he has to play the role of injecting fresh vigor into drifting state affairs following the general election that deprived the Saenuri Party of its majority status. This skepticism is all the more so, considering that the presidential chief of staff should deal with a myriad of current affairs politically.
The two newly appointed senior aides, An and Kang, are those who drew a rough sketch of the incumbent administration's economic policies, raising concerns that it would be all but impossible to expect big changes in the faltering government administration. They also face accusations of having benefitted from President Park's revolving-door appointments.
No doubt, there would be no changes in the current vertical relationship between Cheong Wa Dae and the governing party as long as President Park remains tepid on renovation. She has to conduct bolder reforms, including a reshuffle of her cabinet.
There is one thing that clearly sets the incumbent Park Geun-hye administration apart from previous governments. In former times, it was customary for the President to conduct a big reshuffle of the cabinet or the presidential office when the ruling camp is hit by a crucial political event such as an election defeat.
One month after the stunning defeat of her Saenuri Party in the general election, however, President Park stopped at conducting a minor shakeup of Cheong Wa Dae Sunday, leaving her cabinet intact. Although the nation's first female head of state might reshuffle her cabinet ― possibly in June ― after returning from her Africa visit, it's doubtful if she could head off post-election challenges with such half-baked changes.
Under the reshuffle, President Park named Lee Won-jong, 74, a career bureaucrat, as her chief of staff, replacing Lee Byung-kee who had offered to quit holding himself responsible for the election defeat. She also appointed her senior presidential secretary for economic affairs An Chong-bum as her new chief secretary for policy coordination. Rep. Kang Seok-hoon of the governing Saenuri Party was named her chief economic aide to succeed An.
It's not difficult to reason what is meant by the latest Cheong Wa Dae shakeup. By tapping the new chief of staff who has abundant experience and knowledge in administrative affairs, President Park wants to keep her state affairs stable.
She also expressed her strong will to push for her national agendas, including structural reforms in labor and three other sectors, until the end of her tenure. The fact that President Park tapped An and Kang, economic experts, is a clear message that the presidential office will continue to take the initiative in carrying out economic policies.
But Sunday's change of the presidential secretariat falls far short of the will of the people, expressed in the April 13 parliamentary polls, that called for a broad-based renovation of state affairs and President Park's governing style.
First and foremost, Lee, who served as Seoul mayor once and North Chungcheong Province governor three times during his 50 years of public service, could be suitable if his role is confined to assisting the President. However, he may be tapped wrongly if he has to play the role of injecting fresh vigor into drifting state affairs following the general election that deprived the Saenuri Party of its majority status. This skepticism is all the more so, considering that the presidential chief of staff should deal with a myriad of current affairs politically.
The two newly appointed senior aides, An and Kang, are those who drew a rough sketch of the incumbent administration's economic policies, raising concerns that it would be all but impossible to expect big changes in the faltering government administration. They also face accusations of having benefitted from President Park's revolving-door appointments.
No doubt, there would be no changes in the current vertical relationship between Cheong Wa Dae and the governing party as long as President Park remains tepid on renovation. She has to conduct bolder reforms, including a reshuffle of her cabinet.
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