South Korea needs an urgent revamp

South Korean President Park Geun-hye is in the middle of a political scandal that may lead to her impeachment. It centres on Choi Soon-sil, a shadowy confidant of the president, accused of using her personal ties with Park to coerce local firms to donate millions of dollars to non-profit foundations Choi set up and then used for personal gain.
Park is to be quizzed by prosecutors, making her the first sitting president to be interrogated in a criminal case. Under South Korea’s constitution, the incumbent president may not be charged with a criminal offence except insurrection or treason. But there are arguments that the sitting president can be investigated by prosecutors and then charged after leaving office.
The scandal has engulfed her administration and gave rise to public resentment plunging her approval ratings to zero.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to Seoul’s streets demanding she resign. The protests, which have only grown since she first apologized last month for allowing friend Choi to access government documents, are reminiscent of the 1987 pro-democracy rally that led the country’s military leaders to adopt direct presidential elections.
The large turnout in these demonstrations is adding to pressure on opposition parties to push for Park’s impeachment. The ouster will trigger presidential election in 60 days. Although, the opposition parties have criticized Park for the scandal, they have been cautious about calling for her removal as there’s no guarantee an opposition candidate would win.
Since Park is reluctant to resign before her term ends in early 2018, it has put the opposition on the spot. On the other hand, public resentment is only growing. The donations from the conglomerates to the two foundations controlled by Choi amount to about 77 billion won. Samsung made the largest donation of some 20 billion won ($17.5 million) to Choi’s foundations and is accused of separately offering 2.8 million euros ($3.1 million) to Choi to bankroll her daughter’s equestrian training in Germany. “Park gave up our future for the future of Choi’s family,” Shin Yu-jin, a 21-year-old college student, said during a protest rally recently. “She’s not my president. I want her out right now.”
Park herself said she would cooperate with the investigation and take responsibility if any wrongdoing is found.
Park’s office released a statement on Monday saying the leader has heard the voice of the people with a “heavy heart” and sees the gravity of the situation in the country. Park is thinking hard about fulfilling her responsibility as the president and normalizing the state affairs.
The scandal is not going to hurt South Korea’s domestic politics alone but also its international diplomacy. The distraction risks a cohesive response to the North Korea threat after two nuclear tests. It also risks South Korea missing the chance to quickly clarify its relationship with the US after Donald Trump’s election win.
Park is skipping the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru this week, which will be attended by President Barack Obama and the leaders of Japan and China. The turmoil could lead to months of political instability and, even if Park finishes her term, would likely mean protracted jostling ahead of the next election.
The scandal has weakened the South Korean leadership as economic growth slumps and some of its biggest companies suffer embarrassing setbacks. The truth is that she utterly failed to limit Choi’s influence. And so she should step down and help rebuild the nation.