Park’s exit timing
President needs to spell out when she will leave
Faced with an impeachment crisis and nationwide anti-President protests for weeks, Park Geun-hye made a third national address earlier this week in which she mentioned for the first time her willingness to leave office early.
This did little to assuage the people’s fury toward the scandal-ridden President or change the opposition parties’ impeachment push, as the address contained no details on when she would step down. Instead she told the National Assembly to agree on a roadmap for her resignation.
Park said she only hopes for the nation to get back on track as soon as possible. The President must realize this is impossible unless she specifically sets a date for her exit and assures the people she is truly willing to take responsibility for the unprecedented influence-peddling scandal.
During her third public apology Tuesday, the President said she would “put everything down.” But since then, Park’s course of action suggests her true intentions are far from letting go of power. Her visit to Seomun Market in her political hometown of Daegu was highly inappropriate.
Park has visited Seomun Market, one of Daegu’s biggest, at several critical junctures in her political career.
The visit was criticized as nothing more than a photo-op because she stayed only about 15 minutes and left without hearing the concerns of those who work in the market. Public sentiment in Daegu, where Park started her Assembly career, is not much different from that in the rest of the country.
The visit was ill-timed and politically motivated to regain public support as her approval rating has plummeted to an irrecoverable level. In a rare move, Cheong Wa Dae even disclosed that Park cried upon returning to Seoul from the market.
It is incomprehensible that the presidential office, which has only given vague responses to the many allegations surrounding the President, was so forthcoming about such trivial information. No amount of tears will bring back the trust Park has lost or turn the tide of an impeachment vote set for next week.
Even her Saenuri Party is tilting toward a voluntary exit in place of an impeachment motion, which will lead to more confusion and prolong the leadership void. The ruling party has decided to have Park resign by April 30 and hold a presidential election in June. Park should listen to some Saenuri Party members who have asked her to specify the timing of her resignation by no later than Dec. 7.
According to Cheong Wa Dae, Park is planning a meeting with the ruling party and possibly a press conference. On these occasions, Park must specify when she will leave office and should not attach any conditions.
She should also announce definitively that she will back away from state affairs and hand over her authority to the Assembly-recommended prime minister.