[THE INVESTOR] President Park Geun-hye is running out of options -- and out of time, too.

The long silence she has maintained amid the snowballing corruption allegation against Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs Woo Byung-woo over the past several months did little to soothe the public’s anger.




Her hurried call for the long-delayed constitutional revision -- not only was it deemed an obvious attempt to blur over persisting political scandals -- was soon overshadowed by fresh evidence that a secret confidante of hers meddled in key state affairs.

The president’s reluctant “apology,” which did little more than acknowledge the inappropriate string-pulling, only moved public sentiment from doubtful to utterly astounded and furious.

What’s worse is that her approval rating had already fallen to a record low last week, and it is largely anticipated to dip further this week.

But Cheong Wa Dae once again resorted to silence, all while seeking its way out of its worst political controversy, which has thrown the entire nation into a state of shock.

“We have no comment to make on the issue,” was the only official response coming from spokesperson Jung Youn-kuk on Wednesday, following two consecutive days of revealing reports on the extensive political leverage of Choi Soon-sil, a presidential aide whose existence had long been under cover.

As for the president herself, she abided by her already arranged schedule, meeting with top officials of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and attending a promotion ceremony for key military officials.

But the accumulating reports on Choi’s involvement in confidential state affairs, as well as the aggravating public sentiment, are increasingly weighing down the president, pressing her to make an active gesture other than silence.

Plausible scenarios include Park’s defection from the ruling Saenuri Party, voluntary resignation from power or a complete overhaul of the Cabinet. There is also the possibility of impeachment, as is the suggestion from some opposition camp figures.

But all inevitably involve a fatal blow to presidential authority, which makes it difficult for the president to engage, especially with only 14 months remaining in her five-year term.

Key leading figures of her Cabinet, such as Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn and Chief of Staff Lee Won-jong, on Wednesday claimed they do not “cling to their current post,” alluding to their possible resignations, if so required.

But a Cabinet reshuffle that excludes the president is not such a likely strategy, as Park explicitly admitted her long-suspected ties with Choi, as well as the latter‘s involvement in state documents and presidential speeches.

Also, as the prosecutorial probe on corruption scandal-ridden senior secretary Woo is ongoing, the Blue House faces a dilemma of whether or not to include him in the reshuffle list.

A more realistic choice is for the president to defect from her home party, as demanded by several leading lawmakers.

The problem in this case, however, is that Park may still continue to face bashing, such as a state investigation or an independent counsel probe, as well as impeachment in the worst case.

Meanwhile, a recent nationwide survey by local pollster Realmeter showed Park’s approval ratings standing at 28.5 percent on Oct. 17-21, just before the exclusive reports on Choi‘s influence-rigging. This was the first time the president‘s rate had fallen below the 30 percent mark since she took office in February 2013.

By Bae Hyun-jung/The Korea Herald (tellme@heraldcorp.com)