Park Geun-hye’s sacking may be seen as a triumph of democracy, but the pressure will soon mount on her replacement.
After months of political uncertainty and intense protests and division in South Korea , the constitutional court in Seoul reached a decision this past week to uphold the impeachment – from last December – of President Park Geun-hye.
The demise of Park finally closes a messy chapter of Korean politics, which showcased the disgraced leader ensnared in a bizarre and very public scandal involving her collusion with a friend, whom she used as an unsanctioned political adviser.
The nightmare is not over now for the former leader either, as Park now likely faces criminal charges on bribery, corruption and embezzlement.
On one hand, the court’s decision has allowed the country a penultimate democratic moment after millions of South Koreans took to the streets over the past few months to denounce Park and the charges of political corruption and the nexus with the Korean business conglomerates – referred to as « chaebol » in the country.
Samsung – long the corporate flag-bearer for South Korea’s remarkable economic growth over the past two decades – has had its reputation soiled through the scandal.
The corporate giant’s chairman and corporate princeling, Lee Jae-yong, has been charged with bribery, embezzlement and perjury and – if convicted on all fronts – could face up to 20 years in prison.
Samsung is accused of paying nearly $40m to Choi Soon-sil, the infamous unsanctioned friend and adviser of Park, in order to secure political favours.
In this sense, Park’s impeachment and the public airing of South Korea’s dirty laundry – such as the long shady nexus between corporate and politic interests – provides an opportunity for the country to heal and learn from the difficult and internationally embarrassing episode.
This may provide the political drive needed to cleanse South Korean politics from its institutional traditions and practices vis-a-vis the chaebol.
But the reality is that this is much easier said than done – and the lack of appetite for true progressives, in addition to acute international and security pressures, will constrain the pace of South Korea’s evolution past the Park era.
