President Park Geun-hye appears to have fallen into a deeper quagmire than she may think.

The public’s desperate fears over the uncharted spread of the Middle East respiratory syndrome in South Korea has fast morphed into an abysmal distrust of the government, and an inexorable resentment toward Park.

Clearly clueless of the sentiment, when Park sat down to preside over a meeting of senior aides on Monday, her first remarks were about her stern opposition to the bill that would empower lawmakers to revise government enforcement ordinances.

She appeared to be declaring war against the main opposition party that proposed the bill, terming the parliament’s decision as unconstitutional, stressing that it violates the separation of three powers.

It was only after her impassioned speech regarding the bill that she made remarks about the MERS outbreak, as she urged for thorough countermeasures. She also repeated the comments made by government officials earlier, vowing strict action against those who spread false rumors.

To one’s disdain, the president erroneously put the number of confirmed patients at 15. The Health Ministry had confirmed a total of 18 infected patients just three hours before the meeting.

Neither Park nor her chief secretaries seemed alert enough to double-check the simple facts. It was only after the damage was done, that her aides scurried to hide the mistake by discreetly changing the number in the transcript distributed to the media post facto.

Later that day, the first MERS death was announced. But, once again, neither Park nor her office came forward.

It appeared Cheong Wa Dae was dully listening to the health authorities’ advice that the virus was not at a stage of panic, while turning a blind eye to the mothers frantically searching for alternatives to day care centers for their kids, seniors with health issues opting to stay away from hospitals and office workers reluctantly donning masks while heading to work. Lacking an official source of information to turn to, the public was relying on hearsay and groundless information shared online, with their fear fanned by the increasing number of casualties each day.

The next day’s newspapers showed Park smiling widely while attending the opening of the 12th state-run support center for young entrepreneurs and innovators. She had flown to Yeosu to promote her vision of creative economy.

The day she traveled to Yeosu, the Health Ministry announced the second MERS death. The number of confirmed cases also marked 25. While she was talking about her mantra of creative economy, South Korea became a country with the third-most MERS cases in the world.

It was only on Wednesday afternoon, 15 days after Korea confirmed the first MERS patient, that Park held an emergency meeting with relevant ministers and medical experts in the face of escalating public criticism over the government’s poor response.

It was too late, indeed.

Park said that the meeting was convened to seek countermeasures to resolve public fears. The government needs to track the virus in order to provide correct information and clear the rumors, she said.

Neither Park, nor her aides, seemed to realize that the public fear had surpassed the stage of maintaining low-key and principled countermeasures, and it required a hands-on approach by the commander-in-charge.

The president, instead, named a task force consisting of medical experts and health authorities as the control tower to combat MERS. A pan-governmental organization will be mobilized to handle the crisis, officials said.

On Friday, Park paid a visit to a hospital treating MERS patients and encouraged health care workers there, while Cheong Wa Dae emphasized MERS fight was their top priority.

But such efforts appeared belated, and short of soothing the public that blasted her and her office for letting the situation get out of hand.

Park and her government’s lackadaisical response to the MERS outbreak has now been likened to Sewol ― when the nation plunged into grief for losing more than 300 lives partly due to the government’s botched rescue mission. It also recalled Park’s tearful apology last year in which she vowed to rebuild South Korea and make it the safest place to live in.

Even her staunchest supporters in their 50s and 60s have started to voice growing frustration, criticizing the government for prioritizing the interest of health authorities and hospitals by withholding information such as the list of affected hospitals.

At a time of national emergency, it is the leader that the people turn to.

It is exasperating to see how long it has taken for Park to realize that it is the duty of the state to take the lead in efforts to combat the crisis.

While Park may have believed that the public concerns were exaggerated, it is nonetheless the duty of the state to protect the citizens and calm their fears which are very much real.

By Cho Chung-un ()


koreaherald@heraldcorp.com