President Park Geun-hye’s New Year press conference further cemented the public’s perception of the president as being out of touch with the general public sentiment, an unfortunate turn of events as the Blue House had sought to dispel this image of the president through the rare press conference ― only the second press conference since Park’s inauguration in February 2013.
While the economy was foremost in Park’s mind, judging from the numerous times the word “economy” was said during her speech, the reporters’ questions revealed that what the people really wanted to know was whether the recent Blue House document leak scandal would lead to a personnel change at the Blue House.
It hardly comes as a surprise that both the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy expressed disappointment over the press conference. Even the conservative and liberal news media were highly critical of Park.
Those who had hoped that Park would reorganize the Blue House after the document leak scandal that clearly demonstrated the disarray and disorder at the presidential office saw their hopes dashed when Park flatly rejected calls for a personnel change.
It was a case where words and actions did not match: While Park apologized for the document leak scandal, she refused to take action that would signal a move away from the past and a fresh start. Park once again expressed her unwavering trust in the Presidential Chief of Staff Kim Ki-choon and said that there was no reason, now more than ever, to replace the three presidential secretaries, as they were exonerated by the prosecution, which concluded that the leaked documents were a collection of false rumors.
Kim, who should be held responsible for the leak, saw his boss praise his personal integrity, while the three presidential secretaries saw their position in the Blue House further buttressed by Park’s vehement expression of trust in them. In fact, Park’s actions have made the four “untouchables” in the public’s eyes.
Perhaps as an olive branch to her critics who charge her with being uncommunicative and stubborn, Park said that she would employ special assistants at the Blue House.
The role of these special assistants should be to act as an extra pair of eyes and ears for the president and they should be able to speak to the president freely. However, with Kim and the three presidential secretaries’ positions now stronger than ever following Park’s very public expression of support, what these special assistants will be able to accomplish is questionable.
In fact, it is not difficult to imagine a scenario in which they will not be able to do much. In the worst scenario, the addition of special assistants could further incite a power struggle in the Blue House as the existing personnel attempt to maintain the status quo.
Park said that she planned to retire Kim when the current pending issues are resolved. That could be a good time for the three presidential secretaries to be allowed to leave the Blue House as well. Without changes to the Blue House staff, Park’s call for reform and change in society rings hollow. Words and actions must match.
