What Next for South Korea? Optimism and Uncertainty Follow Park Geun-hye’s Dismissal from Office

South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)

11 March 2017

This was not supposed to happen in South Korea. It was too divided, too corrupt, too much in thrall to the rich and powerful who’d always had their way.

Four months ago, the idea that the country’s leader, along with the cream of South Korean business and politics, would be knocked from command after sustained, massive, peaceful protests would have been ludicrous.

Now Park Geun-hye, thanks to a court ruling on Friday, is no longer president and may very well face criminal extortion and other charges. The head of the country’s biggest company, Samsung, sits in jail, when he’s not in a courtroom facing trial for bribery and embezzlement linked to the corruption scandal that felled Park. And a Who’s Who of once untouchables languishes behind bars waiting for their day in court.

… Lee Su-hyun, assistant professor at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, agreed.

“The court made the right decision because Park was abusing her power,” she said. “If you ask me whether impeaching her will destabilise the Korean peninsula, my answer is no. Regional stability is being affected by various matters including China-Korea relations, South-North Korea relations and of course the relations with Japan.

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Last updated on 14/03/2017