Park Geun-hye is now Korea`s most scrutinized politician

Acting ruling Saenuri Party leader Park Geun-hye told a news conference Thursday, “We will form a new leadership and normalize our party as soon as possible,” adding, “We will implement what we promised to the people.” She also pledge to enact a law to prevent illegal surveillance of civilians, resolve internal conflict between intra-party factions, harmonize all generations and social classes, and alleviate problems in the people’s livelihood. The Korean public will pay attention to Park`s every move as she led her party to an upset win in Wednesday’s general elections.

Park has emerged as the undisputed “current power” that moves and shakes the ruling party. Undergoing a period led by its emergency council, Saenuri has effectively transformed into Park`s party. All election pledges made by its candidates were reviewed by her. Opposition parties will also set Park as their primary target for attacks. Her status as current power will inevitably see an eight-month period of public judgment of her through the December presidential election.

In the campaign for the general elections, the main opposition Democratic United Party attempted to link President Lee Myung-bak and Park in its smear campaign by coining the term “Lee Myung-bak (Park) Geun-hye," and labeled them “Driver’s seat and passenger’s seat.” The opposition’s strategy to turn voters against the incumbent administration failed to gather momentum, however, because the main opposition party itself became a current power that went beyond the power of the Lee administration. After gaining victory in both the 2010 local elections and the Seoul mayoral by-election in October last year, the party effectively presented itself as the next government and signaled a war of vengeance against the ruling party, causing public fears. But instead of the Lee administration, the party was judged by the public.

When considering the number of parliamentary seats, Saenuri secured victory in the general elections. Yet the ruling party won just 42.8 percent of the vote, less than the combined total of the Democratic United Party with 36.5 percent and the United Progressive Party with 10.3 percent. Even the combined approval rating of Saenuri and the minor conservative Liberty Forward Party is still 3.2 percentage points smaller than the combined figure of the two opposition parties. The approval ratings that Democratic United Party lawmakers garnered in constituencies of the “Nakdong River belt” in the Gyeongsang region hit as high as 40 percent. Though ineffective in the general elections, such votes could prove crucial in the December presidential election. If the ruling party places too much meaning on the general elections and loses its alertness, defeat in the presidential election will result. Park should display political leadership by getting closer to the people first and communicating with them. She seemed to have taken an ill-advised action by shunning questions from reporters after her first speech Thursday in the wake of her party’s win in the general elections. By overcoming politics led by her aides and confidents, she should recruit figures from all walks of life. She should remember that aides who are loyal to her on the surface could pull a reversal and spoil her presidential bid.

Park should first take the lead in the effort to establish a National Assembly "where common sense prevails.” She also should display solid leadership to shed politics of corruption. Another suggestion is that she devises strict systems to root out the seeds of corruption before they can taint lawmakers of the next National Assembly.