Park administration reeling from early-term crisis, low approval

The Park Geun-hye administration`s struggles in its first month of office have led to ruling camp insiders warning of an early-term crisis, which the previous government suffered five years ago. Critics predict that this could potentially damage President Park’s image as a “prepared female president” and escalate into a broader crisis sweeping the conservative camp.

Ahead of the April 24 by-elections, the main opposition Democratic United Party even said through its spokesman Park Yong-jin Sunday, “We will make a judgment on the Park Geun-hye administration, which caused controversy due to sloppy selection of personnel," suggesting rather early an “argument to judge the administration.”

The situation surrounding the Park administration in recent weeks is similar to that in the early days of its predecessor, which was reeling due to mass candlelight vigils protesting the resumption of U.S. beef imports. The Park administration`s control over governance, which should be at its strongest point now, could swiftly wane in the wake of the canceled nomination of Kim Byung-kwan as defense minister and the resignation of Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-ui over ethical lapses, not to mention lack of political capacity shown in the process of revising the Government Organization Act.

Analysts say the previous Lee Myung-bak administration experienced a similar crisis due to personnel appointments allegedly based on favoritism, as well as an amateurish political judgment it made in the process of choosing to resume U.S. beef import early in its term.

The crisis under the incumbent administration began earlier than the one five years ago, adding to the ruling camp`s agony. Under the Lee administration, the candlelight vigils started in May 2008, or three months after the president was sworn in, but under the succeeding government, politics remains entangled in an unprecedented sex bribery scandal less than a month after inauguration. Another case that could add pressure on President Park includes the controversy over Han Man-soo`s nomination as Fair Trade Commission chairman. He is considered the central figure of the purported “economic democratization” campaign.

This shaky situation has directly helped to lower the president`s approval rate to 44 percent, according a March 18-21 survey conducted by Gallup Korea. In the same survey conducted in March 2008, President Lee had an approval rating of 52 percent, and in the March 2003 poll, his predecessor Roh Moo-hyun enjoyed 60 percent.

ddr@donga.com