What Is The Future For The Current South Korean President, Park Geun-hye?

On November 6th, 2016, 100,000 South Koreans demonstrated their frustrations on the streets in Seoul, demanding resignation from President Park. Korean news are currently over flooded with Park’s discrepancies and her sickening “devotion” to her confidante Choi Soon-sil. President Park is being accused of allowing Choi Soon-sil to use their friendship to gain, “improper access to classified state documents and obtain murky payments from the country’s powerful business conglomerates, such as Samsung and Hyundai.”

To give a little bit of background information regarding Choi Soon-sil: she is the daughter of Choi Tae-min, who was a cult leader and it is speculated that the Choi family has gained dominant influence over President Park ever since she was in her early 20s, as they claimed to have helped her emotionally and spiritually during her dark years of when her parents were both assassinated. They have been under President Park’s shadows ever since they have won her over.

President Park has officially announced an apology speech to the public and the citizens are still unsatisfied. Many citizens believe an apology isn’t enough to make up for their feelings of betrayal. Majority of the citizens who have voted for President Park three years ago are regretting their decision. What the citizens demand from their president now is for her to acknowledge her crimes and to resign from office.

Choi Soon-sil’s is currently in jail and facing court. Some of her crimes include but are not limited to: abusing her power to get her daughter a “free pass” for Ewha Women University, which is known to be one of the most prestigious schools in Korea. Education in Korea is extremely competitive and a very sensitive topic, and also used her connections with the President to threaten major corporations into “donating” millions to her questionable foundations.

Consequently, the number of citizens participating in public protest and resistance is growing over time. Many Koreans believe this type of resistance will bring a positive change to the Korean government and history. Citizens’ voice are being more recognized through the usage of social media and the internet. This protest is a public outcry, as people are expressing their buildup of anger with the government. There have been various disappointments over Presidential Park’s term, such as the sunken South Korean ferry in 2014—one of the biggest national tragedies recorded in Korean history. 

Perhaps the most crucial point to take note right now is that the resistance is relatively peaceful. This national protest will definitely leave a footprint in Korean history.

 

 

Jisue Shin
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