Published : Oct. 31, 2016 - 16:27
Hard pressed by public anger over the so-called Choi Soon-sil scandal, Cheong Wa Dae had little choice but to dismiss top presidential confidants in a gesture of communication and reform.
However, the move has created a fiasco for the already-struggling presidential office which has largely been losing its grip over state governance, with only 14 months of President Park Geun-hye’s single five-year term remaining. Skepticism also continues to linger on the efficacy of the measure, a decision which may have been agonizing for the president but is still deemed insufficient to other politicians.
The president has recently been struck by a series of revelations showing that a friend of hers -- Choi Soon-sil, who is a civilian -- has long manipulated key state affairs. After days of public bashing and nationwide protests, Park on Sunday carried out a partial reshuffle of her secretariat.
A view of Cheong Wa Dae (Yonhap)
Among the replaced officials was Woo Byung-woo, the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, whose liability for a chain of corruption allegations and consequent resignation has been a subject of political feuding since July.
Woo was substituted by Choi Jai-kyeong, a former prosecutor just like his predecessor, while Senior Presidential Secretary for Public Relations Kim Sung-woo was replaced by Bae Sung-rye, a former spokesperson for the National Assembly.
The resignation of Presidential Chief of Staff Lee Won-jong, Senior Presidential Secretary for Policy Coordination An Chong-bum and Senior Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs Kim Jae-won were all accepted but their respective successors are yet to be decided.
The reshuffle, though extensive in that it included most key senior officials, was a minimal alternative, as Park earlier Friday had ordered all of her top secretaries to submit their resignations en masse.
But the real “shake-up” for the president was that she sent away Lee Jae-man, Jeong Ho-seong and Ahn Bong-geun -- the three secretary-level officials considered to be the most irreplaceable aides for the reclusive state chief.
Often dubbed the “doorknob trio” -- referring to the widely spread rumor that they have been monopolizing all communication channels with Park since her political debut -- the three have long been under pressure to step down, especially after the presidential aide scandal broke out last week.
Park’s reluctant separation from her most trusted aides heralds a deadlock in the administration, especially for a president who is said to be exceptionally reliant on her secretaries when considering governance.
“President Park will soon carry out an additional reshuffle (of the vacant positions),” spokesperson Jung Youn-kuk told reporters, suggesting that the successors for the given posts have not yet been fixed.
Even potential candidates who have received offers are said to have declined.
“I hesitated upon the offer as we are in the midst of a grave state crisis,” Yonhap News Agency quoted the newly appointed civil affairs chief Choi as saying to an acquaintance.
“But as a longtime servant to public duties, I felt that my ethical duty was not to look away from such a call (to serve the country).”
Another point of dispute is that Choi, who is replacing the scandal-ridden Woo, is the nephew of Choi Byung-yul, a former chairman of the ruling Saenuri Party and chief editor of the nation’s top conservative newspaper Chosun Ilbo.
The fact that he is also a former prosecutor, two years senior to Woo, raised speculations that Woo himself had selected his own successor and that he still has influence over the incoming secretariat.
Such suspicions largely dampened the Blue House’s claim that Choi was chosen for his relatively unbiased political position and expertise in high-profile corruption cases.
(tellme@heraldcorp.com)