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The Blue House on the night of Dec. 10

President Park Geun-hye began what could be a six-month period of seclusion at home after being suspended from her duties with the National Assembly‘s approval of an impeachment motion on Dec. 9.

Park rested at her official residence for her first post-impeachment weekend on Dec. 11, sources said. She also reportedly summoned Blue House advisers to the residence for a “tea time” after the impeachment vote, with some suggesting to her that she should “take a rest for now.”

“The President was physically and mentally exhausted, and her advisers actively urged her to focus on resting,” said one attendee.

Park also spoke with Cabinet members before the tea time.

“I used to wonder what people meant when they talked about ’shedding tears of blood‘ [a Korean expression for intense hardship], but now I know what that means. I really am shedding tears of blood right now,” a tearful Park was reported by one attendee as saying.

Some Cabinet members also reportedly exchanged tearful goodbyes with Park. In connection with the recent scandal over government interference by confidante Choi Sun-sil, Park reportedly expressed feelings of “betrayal” to her associates, saying Choi had “always been mild-mannered and quiet in front of me.”

On Dec. 10, Park watched the seventh round of candlelight demonstrations on TV and met with attorneys at her official residence to prepare for the upcoming special prosecutor’s investigation and impeachment trial, sources said.

In the wake of Park’s suspension, the Blue House made an official transition to a new system with Hwang Kyo-ahn serving as acting President and Prime Minister. Chief of Staff Han Gwang-ok delivered a report to Hwang on Dec. 10 over plans for assisting him.

“Han expressed [to Hwang] that he would provide good assistance and neglect nothing,” a Blue House source said.

Assistance with Hwang’s duties as acting President are to be provided by the Blue House Secretariat, while policy coordination among administrative agencies is to be handled by the Office of the Prime Minister, with practical duties coordinated on an ongoing basis. Discussion channels are entrusted to Senior Secretary to the President for Economic Affairs Kang Seog-hoon at the Blue House and minister Lee Suk-joon in the Office for Government Policy Coordination. Senior secretaries are also to visit the Office of the Prime Minister on the afternoon of Dec. 12 for a meeting with officials there and operational briefings to Hwang. Discussions are still under way on whether Hwang will preside over senior secretariat meetings as Park had, but plans were made for the Chief of Staff and senior secretaries to accompany him when presiding over Cabinet meetings. Blue House advisors have traditionally not attended Cabinet meetings presided over by the Prime Minister.

While the Presidential Secretariat may officially assist Hwang, it reportedly plans to keep its actions to a minimum of unofficial reports, as Park could return to her duties if the impeachment is overturned by the Constitutional Court.

By Choi Hye-jung, staff reporter

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