South Korea: Scandal saps the president’s power

Political turmoil stemming from accusations of influence peddling continues to roil the administration of South Korean President Park Geun Hye. While allegations that Park leaked state documents to a longtime confidant and a cult leader are still being investigated, she has been forced to react to public anger and a plummeting approval rating. The scandal will hang over the remaining year left in her term, limiting her effectiveness, and could also end her political career. The situation has also reignited the outcry over the country’s longstanding problems with corruption and government mismanagement.

Despite Park’s attempts to mollify her critics, include a major reshuffling of her staff on Oct. 30, anger continues to boil. Thousands had marched in Seoul the day before, demanding her resignation. But despite the street protests and online outrage directed at Park, at this point, there appears to be no serious movement to begin impeachment proceedings. However, some members of Park’s ruling Saenuri Party have started to distance themselves from her. The party also attempted an accommodation with the opposition by publicly demanding a cabinet reshuffle and offering to form a unity government across arty lines. The main opposition Democratic Party has so far rejected those overtures, watching to see where the investigation of Park leads.