hankyoreh

“I’m relieved, even though it’s a little late,” a Blue House spokesperson said on Jan. 6 regarding the results of the prosecutors’ investigation into leaked documents containing allegations that Chung Yoon-hoi meddled in state affairs. Chung was President Park Geun-hye’s Chief of Staff when she was a second term lawmaker.

The implications of the remarks by the Blue House are obvious. They suggest satisfaction that the prosecutors’ investigation toed the line drawn by President Park’s initial criticism of the report as being no better than a stock market newsletter. They also hint at relief that the controversy about shadowy figures who allegedly meddled in state affairs has finally been brought to a close.

The Blue House’s remarks effectively illustrate how willfully President Park and the Blue House secretaries are viewing the situation.

For one, the Blue House is disregarding the scorn that the public is heaping on the prosecutor’s investigation. The conclusion reached by investigators - that the whole case was cooked up by a few individuals - is viewed with sarcasm and derision by the public. Hardly any South Koreans believe the prosecutors when they say that the allegations about backroom powerbrokers meddling in state affairs were not true.

The prosecutors have done nothing to disprove a number of allegations, including charges that shadowy figures interfered in the dismissal of officials to the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and that Ahn Bong-geun, one of Park’s personal secretaries, was involved in the appointment of police officers at the Blue House.

What is clear is that this is not the kind of affair that can be simply swept under the rug.

Furthermore, the commotion about the leaked document has shown an embarrassing side of the Blue House, belying its claim to be the supreme body managing state affairs. It has shown that the people in power - who are largely obsessed with backstabbing and infighting - are a sorry lot who lack the ability to accurately assess a situation, maintain strict discipline, or respond effectively to a crisis.

Considering all of these circumstances, the Blue House shouldn’t be saying, “I’m relieved, even though it’s a little late,” but rather, “It’s unfortunate and really shameful.”

If Park had a modicum of political intuition, she’d view the present situation as a dire crisis. This is a time when she should be asking herself what she can do to assuage public scorn and to refurbish the tarnished reputation of the Blue House. She could make a more active effort to think of ways to ascertain the truth of the case, perhaps by assigning a special prosecutor.

But the Blue House refuses to cooperate. The whole thing has been a farce, starting with the bizarre efforts of Blue House Chief of Staff Kim Ki-choon to restore military discipline among the Blue House secretaries, when Kim is the one largely responsible for the collapse of discipline in the first place. Meanwhile, the “triumvirate” - the secretaries said to control access to President Park - remain firmly ensconced in their positions.

As Park covers for her close associates, there are no indications that she will rectify her failure to keep power in its proper channels. In the end, Park is simply trying to get out of this crisis, without bothering with damage control, and while ignoring calls to get to the bottom of the allegations. Park‘s hubris and misunderstanding are truly astonishing.

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