Turning Their Backs and Not Listening: Lame Duck Treatment Begins from Inside

[경향신문] President Park Geun-hye's grip over state administration is crumbling from inside. Ruling party members are openly turning their backs on Cheong Wa Dae. The psychological distance between Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling Saenuri Party seems too far to patch. In addition, government agencies are not listening to Cheong Wa Dae as in the past.

The situation is more serious because attempts to escape the control of Cheong Wa Dae have been sighted from inside, and not outside the government. It may be a typical phenomenon for a government in its fourth year in office, but after the ruling party's defeat in the April 13 parliamentary elections, the lame duck effect (weakening power as the government nears the end of its term in office) seems to be accelerating. Even from within the ruling party, we are hearing words like, "Power management is failing."

First, the opposition among the ruling party members stands out. A prime example is Hong Ki-taek, former president of the Korea Development Bank who was a part of President Park's presidential campaign and the presidential transition committee. In an interview published by the Kyunghyang Shinmun on June 8, Hong disclosed that Cheong Wa Dae, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, and the financial authorities led the decision to provide funds to improve the liquidity of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering. Hong pointed to Cheong Wa Dae's "meeting at the west annex," Saenuri Party lawmaker Choi Kyung-hwan (deputy prime minister and minister of strategy and finance at the time), and Senior Cheong Wa Dae Secretary for Policy Coordination Ahn Jong-beom (senior secretary for economic affairs at the time) as the people behind the decision. According to Hong, the insolvency of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering was due to the wrong judgment of key political figures and not the faulty loans of the Korea Development Bank.

Yoon Chang-jung, a Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson who was dismissed for having sexually harassed a female intern in her twenties when President Park toured the U.S in May 2013, resumed his activities on June 7, making a bizarre argument that he was "not guilty, because the statute of limitations has expired." That Yoon, the symbol of a failed presidential appointment, has begun to move itself is a burden on the government. Since Yoon has shared his plans to publish a series of writings on his blog, he may mention some details that could put a burden on the government.

The Saenuri Party is also expressing its complaints of Cheong Wa Dae. Within the party, one can easily hear the complaint, "We may lose the next presidential election because of Cheong Wa Dae." The party seemed skeptical about the Cheong Wa Dae staff reshuffle. One veteran lawmaker said in a phone conversation, "What's the use of just changing the people? What are they trying to do, bringing in smart people and turning them into fools?" "The VIP's (President Park) unilateral way of addressing state administration has to change to give those people (Cheong Wa Dae staff) some room," he added. Non-mainstream lawmakers have, on numerous accounts, openly criticized Cheong Wa Dae saying, "Cheong Wa Dae should stop its dogmatic and unilateral way of handling state affairs."

A bigger problem will occur if the non-Park members dominate the party in the future. The Saenuri Party's congress is expected in late August or early September, and although the pro-Park members claim that they will win in the vote, the situation is not exactly what it looks like. First, lawmaker Choi Kyung-hwan, a strong contender among the pro-Park members to lead the party, has taken a blow from Hong's expose. The fact that a public survey (30%) will be reflected along with the party member votes (70%) is also expected to work against the pro-Park members.

Government agencies sensitive to changes in power are also standing up to the ruling party. Last April, when the issue of corporate restructuring surfaced, President Park had ordered a Korean-style of quantitative easing. But the Bank of Korea openly opposed claiming, "In order for the central bank to take advantage of its note-issuing authority and play a role in the nation's financial situation, we need a national or social consensus." A member engaged in the ruling party's policy development said, "The attitude of the civil servants has changed. They won't listen to the ruling party."