POST-IMPEACHMENT Prime Minister now in the hot seat
Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn / Yonhap
By Ko Dong-hwan
As impeached President Park Geun-hye’s exit has left a vacuum in Korea’s military commander in chief post as well as the top diplomat seat, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn has taken over the tough tasks involved in national security.
Korean lawmakers on Dec. 9 agreed to divest scandal-plagued President Park Geun-hye of the supreme power, with a majority of 300 National Assembly members voting for her impeachment.
The decision came after the President has been embroiled in corruption and influence-peddling scandals, in which she allowed her longtime civilian friend, Choi Soon-sil, to meddle in state affairs and helped Choi gain illegal assets.
As military chief, Hwang must first deal with two nations that are the most critical regarding national security: North Korea, which can threaten the South with its nuclear weapons and mid-to-long range missiles at any time, and the United States, which has been keeping the North from attacking the South by stationing troops in the South since Korean War (1950-53).
“South Korea will now have to monitor the North more stringently and relay down special mandates through military chains in case of emergencies,” an experienced South Korean military official said, according to Hankook Ilbo.
“There will also be some kind of ‘actions’ between military authorities from South Korea and the U.S.”
Hwang is not totally inexperienced in handling the military top job. On Sep. 9, when North Korea had conducted the fifth nuclear test, Hwang led a National Security Council meeting when Park was overseas.
The late former President Roh Moo-hyun (right) and then-Prime Minister Goh Kun at Cheong Wa Dae in 2003 / Korea Times file
The transition of military command from Park to Hwang will mostly follow the precedent of late former President Roh Moo-hyun, who was impeached in 2004 ― and killed himself in 2009 following a bribery investigation ― lifting Prime Minister Goh Kun in Roh’s place.
On the day the National Assembly voted for Roh’s impeachment in March, Goh contacted the Ministry of National Defense to order a tighter grip on military preparation.
The military group confirmed the order by setting the anti-North Korea surveillance alert Watchcon and Defcon, a five-stage combat alert level, as usual, as a precaution.
Goh also called a National Security Council meeting the next day to discuss the imminent national security risk and arranged an emergency meeting between South Korean and U.S. military authorities.
Goh had first publicly exercised his authority as military commander in chief five days after Roh’s impeachment at the Republic of Korea Air Force Academy in the Cheongju. He bestowed on the school’s top-performing cadets two types of award: one with the President’s signature and the other with the Prime Minister’s signature.
As for being the chief diplomat, Hwang’s temporary administration will focus on “maintaining the status quo,” meaning the nation will minimize the presidential-level meetings with other countries for the next 180 days, after which the Constitutional Court determines whether to accept the impeachment vote result.
In case of imminent diplomatic agendas, however, Korea’s Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se will be given authority to take the lead.
The President’s empty seat will undoubtedly downgrade the nation’s diplomatic position in a global sense because Korea is reluctant to hold a summit without its chief.
This could affect involvement in the Jan. 20 inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.