In her signature manner of snubbing political debates and instead sticking to her guns as a way out of a gridlock, President Park Geun-hye maintained her silence on the election legitimacy controversy and instead made a series of unexpected personnel appointments last week.

As the ignored main opposition Democratic Party watched in rage, Park chose Sunday to throw a ceremonial first pitch at the Korean baseball series, and sang along to “Arirang” at a cultural event held at Cheong Wa Dae.

To the growing public calls for the president to speak up about the aggravating political standoff, Park had Prime Minister Chung Hong-won reiterate in a speech on Monday that she is not relevant to the NIS and highlighted the urgency of tackling the sagging economy instead.

It was Park’s indirect yet clear message to the political circles and the public that she will not be speaking up about the on-going controversy over the National Intelligence Service’s alleged electioneering, or the prosecution’s contentious probe into it.

“The statement by the prime minister reflects the president’s intention that she will not be embroiled in consumptive political strife, and that the state administration will focus on creating jobs and activating the economy,” a political source said.

This week, Park is said to focus her attention on preparing for her European summit trip next week, where she will aim to broaden her diplomacy away from the political debacle at home.

The same week the DP vows to grill Park’s latest personnel choices, including the new chiefs for the Board of Audit and Inspection. Health Ministry and the prosecution, Park is set to travel around Britain, France and Belgium to highlight her sales diplomacy and Northeast Asia peace and cooperation initiative.

While this is Park’s way of seeking an out from the intensifying political standoff, the conflict is unlikely to subside as both sides head toward the “point of no return,” political pundits said.

“By having the prime minister deliver a position, Park was in her way responding to the public calls for her to step in and clean up the mess created by the rival parties. She did so without staining her own hands, as directly commenting on the matter would only implicate herself to the debate over the legitimacy of her win,” Yoon Hee-woong, a senior researcher at the Korea Society Opinion Institute told The Korea Herald.

“However, unlike in the past, the virtuous political cycle has been broken where a political controversy subsided after the opposition earned some credibility and support from the public from their offenses against the ruling camp, and the ruling party in turn made gestures to give in a little.”

While the DP continues to fail in gaining full trust from the public since their presidential election defeat, their aggressive attack against the ruling camp’s legitimacy is pushing the conflict further to the extreme, Yoon said.

“This does not appear a situation where the traditional concession or compromise appears likely,” he added.

For the time being, the rival parties are expected to rip into the remaining sessions of the parliamentary audit.

The DP is getting ready to zero in on prosecutor-general designate Kim Jin-tae’s close relations with Cheong Wa Dae chief of staff Kim Ki-choon, citing a risk of damaging the prosecution’s independence. They are also expected to question the way Kim Jin-tae’s son was exempted from military service. While the prosecutor-general-designate is subject to a parliamentary hearing, the president does not need the National Assembly’s approval to finalize the appointment.

Hwang Chan-hyun, nominated to head the BAI, is also expected to face questions over his determination to maintain the agency’s autonomy as his predecessor resigned citing pressure from higher-ups. His son has also been exempted from the military service, which is one of the most popular topics at confirmation hearings here.

The DP is set to examine Health Minister-designate Moon Hyung-pyo and his intention to follow through the administration’s welfare pledges and his position on the controversial basic pension scheme.

By Lee Joo-hee (jhl@heraldcorp.com)