Behind a crisis

(Baonghean) - The South Korean National Assembly voted unanimously on December 9 to impeach President Park Geun-hye. The decision is a direct result of a scandal involving the relationship between the Blue House owner and her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil, who is currently under investigation for suspected abuse of influence with the President.

Choi Soon-sil (center) at the Seoul Prosecutors' Office in October. Photo: Getty.

Impeach the President

The bill to impeach Park was passed with 234 votes in favor, 56 against, nine invalid votes and nine abstentions. This result means that enough members of Park's ruling Saenuri Party voted against the leader by agreeing to the impeachment scenario - a measure that has damaged Park Geun-hye's reputation since the scandal broke nearly two months ago.

After the official announcement of the above information, all of Ms. Park's executive powers were immediately suspended and transferred to South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn. Although the number 2 person in the Kimchi country took over the position of acting president, that does not mean Ms. Park will have to quickly pack her bags and leave the Blue House.

Now, the fate of the Iron Lady lies in the hands of nine judges of the national constitutional court, as they will have 180 days to rule on the validity of the vote to impeach the President.

Although all of the above judges were personally appointed by Ms. Park or her conservative predecessor, it would be a mistake to think that they could save her presidency if they wanted to, because the destructive power of the people's anger towards Ms. Park is not simple and will put no small pressure on the team of judges.

The Guardian quoted Kim Jong-dae, a former judge at the Constitutional Court of South Korea from 2006 to 2012, as saying: “I believe that judges will make decisions based on their love for the country and their conscience. They are also citizens of the Republic of Korea, breathing the same air as all of us.”

The Constitutional Court will now have to determine whether the National Assembly has followed proper procedures and has sufficient grounds to impeach the president. The process will require arguments from both sides in public hearings. If the vote is approved, Park will officially step down, and an election to choose a new leader will be held within 60 days.

If this happens, it will be an undesirable, even humiliating, ending for Ms. Park. Indeed, no one wants to go down in history as the first democratically elected President to be forced to resign!

Ms. Park apologized to the Korean people for the scandal in November. Photo: NYT

Alternative names

Moon Jae-in, a lawmaker from the opposition Democratic Party of Korea, has been leading in recent opinion polls. He has been widely applauded for his uncompromising stance on Park and his warning to the Constitutional Court judges that overturning the impeachment vote would be a betrayal of the Korean people. The former human rights lawyer was a formidable opponent of Park in the 2012 presidential election.

In second place for the Blue House seat is UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, but his approval rating has recently dropped slightly due to his close ties with Ms. Park's Saenuri Party, although he is not a member of the party.

The 72-year-old diplomat, who served as South Korea's foreign minister from 2004 to 2006, has expressed his desire to return to politics in South Korea after leaving his post at the United Nations at the end of this year. He has refused to comment publicly on the scandal involving the female president.

Now, there is talk of the possibility that Park’s case will create a “Trump effect” in South Korea, fueled by public anger toward the political establishment and fueled by the current crony scandal.

Such a new political climate could pave the way for Lee Jae-myung, the mayor of Seongnam and a strong supporter of Park’s impeachment. The 52-year-old politician is likely to soon replace Ban in the polls, especially since he has been a prominent presence at the massive protests that have swept South Korea in recent weeks calling for a “revolution” in the country’s politics.

3. Leaders of major corporations including Samsung and Hyundai testified before the National Assembly on December 6 about millions of dollars transferred to two foundations run by Ms. Choi. Photo: NYT.

Impact on politics

Park's future aside, the scandal also goes further, exposing the uneasy relationships between ruling politicians and South Korea's conglomerates.

That relationship has traditionally been tolerant as the chaebols led rapid growth in Asia's fourth-largest economy, but a widening income gap, youth unemployment and other glaring problems affecting Samsung and other big players mean voters' patience is wearing thin.

There are fears that the political turmoil gripping South Korea could have a knock-on effect on the economy. The country’s finance ministry is concerned about risks to the economy from “domestic issues” that could potentially hurt consumption and investment, adding to the uncertainty of the current global economic situation.

South Korea's central bank said it will hold emergency meetings to discuss possible policy responses to any developments arising from the impeachment vote.

Some analysts have described Ms Park's defeat as a rare victory for people power, as hundreds of thousands took to the streets in South Korea's biggest protests since the pro-democracy movement of the late 1980s.

And so, the political scandal of the land of kimchi is causing a chain effect on a series of other aspects of economic, social, cultural life, etc. Both the fate of Ms. Park and the future of the country of Korea are facing unexpected "shocks" of crisis, up to this point, the only thing that can be affirmed is that solving these problems satisfactorily is not an easy thing...

Thu Giang