President Park stuck in political limbo

By Kang Seung-woo

President Park Geun-hye faces multiple obstacles in pushing ahead with reforms and economic initiatives with the ruling party stuck in a nasty factional dispute.

Currently, a plan to build a new airport in the southeastern part of the country is splitting her political strongholds in Daegu and Busan, while her reform drive is being overshadowed by growing calls for a constitutional revision.

In addition, the Saenuri Party’s recent decision to readmit Rep. Yoo Seong-min, who is at odds with Park, is plaguing the President — a sign of the shaky relationship between the presidential office and the ruling party. Last year, Park denounced Yoo, a former Saenuri Party floor leader, as a “traitor” for pursuing his own political gains.

In the wake of the party’s poor performance in the April 13 general election — defined as a referendum on her government’s botched economic policy — Park has sought to make a fresh start. However, a sense of crisis is gripping Cheong Wa Dae amid concerns that the President may lose her grip on state affairs in the months to come.

“If such issues continue to sweep the political circle, President Park will have trouble handling state affairs, including her reform plans,” said Cho Jin-man, a professor of political science at Duksung Women’s University.

“If the President had high popularity, she could turn the tables, but her current approval rating of 30-something percent is not enough to do so.”

Later this week, the government will pick the site for a new airport, either on Gadeok Island or Miryang, but any result is expected to split her political bastions ahead of next year’s presidential election. Busan backs Gaedeok Island, while Daegu favors Miryang.

Although President Park has stressed that the decision over the new airport site will be based on “economic logic” without any political considerations, the issue has already triggered regional conflict and political conspiracy theories.

In addition, as Busan Mayor Suh Byung-soo has staked his office on bringing the airport to Gadeok Island, a Miryang victory will result in a by-election for the mayoral post in the port city, in which the Saenuri Party’s popularity has been waning, raising concerns that the surging opposition may capture that post as well. In April’s election, the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea won five seats in Busan.

President Park has resisted calls to amend the Constitution out of concerns that any discussions may distract the nation from efforts to revive the sluggish economy.

However, the issue, rekindled by National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun last week, is sweeping the political circle, with the matter becoming uncontrollable for Cheong Wa Dae.

A majority of Saenuri party members as well as opposition lawmakers are in favor of a constitutional amendment to change the current five-year, single-term presidential system.

A poll, conducted by Yonhap News Agency on all 300 lawmakers, found Sunday that 250 lawmakers, or 83.3 percent, said that they see the amendment as a necessity.

Following Yoo’s reinstatement last week, Cheong Wa Dae is concerned he may run for the party chairmanship in August.

While Park needs support from the ruling party to push ahead with her reform plans, Yoo’s election may lead the President to lose momentum, hastening the arrival of a lame-duck session.

“Given her waning career at Cheong Wa Dae, she is limited to summoning her self-righteous governing style to press ahead with state affairs like in the past, making her a lame duck,” said Hwang Tae-soon, a senior analyst at the Wisdom Center.