I will give you a brief summary of the current crisis in Korean presidency and the \uc2a4\uce94\ub4e4<\/em>(scandal) that has rocked South Korea since October of 2016.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>The Center of Political Scandal<\/strong><\/p>\n So called, Choi Soon-sil Gate has been a hot potato in Korean media since October. The revelation of her influence in Korean \uc815\uce58<\/em>(politics) and \ubd80\ud328<\/em>(corruption) in her private life has rocked South Korea for over a month. Who is Choi Soon-sil? She is a daughter of a controversial religious leader, Choi Tae-min, and a long time friend of president Park. She was involved in the president\u2019s day-to-day life such as wardrobe selection and spiritual advice. Although she did not hold any official government position, she edited the president\u2019s official \uc5f0\uc124<\/em>(speeches) and also had access to some confidential information. She abused her friendship with the president to benefit her personal gains. She is accused of manipulating government affairs, abusing her power to extort millions of dollars from big companies to her two foundations, Mir and K-sport, and bending university admission rules for her daughter, Chung Yoo-ra. These scandals caused President Park\u2019s official apologies to the public, reshuffling of the cabinet members, and the \uc0ac\ud1f4<\/em>(resignation) of the president of \uc774\ud654\uc5ec\ub300<\/em>(Ewha Women\u2019s University) over the allegation surrounding the Choi\u2019s daughter. The president of Ewha Women\u2019s University has resigned over the allegation surrounding the connections to Choi\u2019s daughter\u2019s admission. Her influence reached many corners of the Korean \uc815\ubd80<\/em>(government), \uae30\uc5c5<\/em>(business), \uc5f0\uc608\uacc4<\/em>(entertainment world), and so on.<\/p>\n Crisis in Korean Presidency<\/strong><\/p>\n On Friday, December 9, 234 out of 300 lawmakers voted to impeach president Park and suspended her from the presidency. \ud5cc\ubc95 \uc7ac\ud310\uc18c<\/em>(Constitutional court) has 180 days to decide on the \ud310\uacb0<\/em>(ruling) whether to validate her impeachment or not. Until the court\u2019s deliberation, Prime minister Hwang Kyo-ahn will be the acting president of South Korea. President Park was supposed to end her \uc784\uae30<\/em>(term) in 2018; therefore, if she leaves the office through the impeachment validation of the court or through her resignation, a new presidential \uc120\uac70<\/em>(election) will need to be held within 60 days.<\/p>\n Millions of Korean citizens protested for President Park\u2019s impeachment and cheered on the deliberation of the lawmakers\u2019 \uacb0\uc815<\/em>(decision). It will be interesting to watch how the Korean government and citizens will deal with this new chapter of ambivalence in Korean politics.<\/p>\n If you are interested in reading more about Choi Soon-sil and President Park\u2019s stories, please check out the following links.<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-asia-37971085<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/south-korean-assembly-set-to-vote-on-presidents-impeachment\/2016\/12\/08\/b1429d8c-bd8c-11e6-ae79-bec72d34f8c9_story.html?utm_term=.726ca4cf49e9<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n
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