South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s dwindling political fortunes took another hit yesterday as her second nominee for prime minister was forced to withdraw over past remarks about Japanese rule.
“I wanted to help President Park Geun-hye. But I believe that my resignation is the way to help her at this point,” Moon Chang-kuk told a press conference.
“So today, I’m giving up my nomination for the prime minister,” he said.
A political novice, the 65-year-old former journalist had been a surprise choice from the start, and his nomination swiftly became a political battleground because of past comments about issues related to Japan’s colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula.
Park has had problems with a number of her key political appointments, and Moon’s withdrawal is a further blow at a time when her popularity ratings are already at their lowest ebb following the Sewol ferry disaster in April.
The prime minister’s job fell open after Chung Hong-won resigned amid strident public criticism of the government’s response to the Sewol tragedy which claimed about 300 lives, mostly schoolchildren.
Moon was not even Park’s first choice. That was Ahn Dai-hee, a former Supreme Court justice who was forced to withdraw last month following controversy over income he amassed after leaving the bench and going into private practice.
The prime minister’s post is a largely symbolic position in South Korea, where all real power lies in the presidential Blue House, but it is the only Cabinet post requiring parliamentary approval, and Moon would have had to endure a rough confirmation hearing.
The controversy concerned remarks he made regarding two linked issues — Japan’s 1910 to 1945 colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula, and the Japanese military’s use of wartime sex slaves.
In a 2011 church lecture, Moon had described the repressive colonial period as “God’s will” and in an editorial six years earlier said the terms of a 1965 treaty with Tokyo ruled out further compensation for South Korean women forced into Japanese military brothels.
Although Moon insisted his comments had been taken out of context, they triggered such a furor that even members of Park’s ruling Saenuri Party began voicing doubts about his nomination.
For two weeks, Moon said he had no intention of stepping down, but the criticism showed no sign of abating and it appears that Park herself finally advised him to pull out.
In a statement issued by the Blue House, Park said it was “extremely regrettable” that Moon had been judged in the court of public opinion without being able to properly defend himself.
In his briefing, Moon voiced no regret over his past remarks, but said that his nomination had become a subject of division.
An endangered baby pygmy hippopotamus that shot to social media stardom in Thailand has become a lucrative source of income for her home zoo, quadrupling its ticket sales, the institution said Thursday. Moo Deng, whose name in Thai means “bouncy pork,” has drawn tens of thousands of visitors to Khao Kheow Open Zoo this month. The two-month-old pygmy hippo went viral on TikTok and Instagram for her cheeky antics, inspiring merchandise, memes and even craft tutorials on how to make crocheted or cake-based Moo Dengs at home. A zoo spokesperson said that ticket sales from the start of September to Wednesday reached almost
TIGHTENING: Zhu Hengpeng, who worked for an influential think tank, has reportedly not been seen in public since making disparaging remarks on WeChat A leading Chinese economist at a government think tank has reportedly disappeared after being disciplined for criticizing Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in a private chat group. Zhu Hengpeng (朱恆鵬), 55, is believed to have made disparaging remarks about China’s economy, and potentially about the Chinese leader specifically, in a private WeChat group. Zhu was subsequently detained in April and put under investigation, the Wall Street Journal reported. Zhu worked for the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) for more than 20 years, most recently as the Institute of Economics deputy director and director of the Public Policy Research Center. He
CHINESE ICBM: The missile landed near the EEZ of French Polynesia, much to the surprise and concern of the president, who sent a letter of protest to Beijing Fijian President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere called for “respect for our region” and a stop to missile tests in the Pacific Ocean, after China launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). In a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Katonivere recalled the Pacific Ocean’s history as a nuclear weapons testing ground, and noted Wednesday’s rare launch by China of an ICBM. “There was a unilateral test firing of a ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean. We urge respect for our region and call for cessation of such action,” he said. The ICBM, carrying a dummy warhead, was launched by the
As violence between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, Iran is walking a tightrope by supporting Hezbollah without being dragged into a full-blown conflict and playing into its enemy’s hands. With a focus on easing its isolation and reviving its battered economy, Iran is aware that war could complicate efforts to secure relief from crippling sanctions. Cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah, sparked by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year, has intensified, especially after last week’s sabotage on Hezbollah’s communications that killed 39 people. Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon followed, killing hundreds. Hezbollah retaliated with rocket barrages. Despite the surge in
RSS