South Korea's President Park Geun-hye has replaced the country's prime minister and finance minister. The move comes as prosecutors call for the arrest of her personal aide at the center of a political scandal.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Images/How Hwee Young
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Kim Byong-joon - a former top policy adviser for late liberal President Roh Moo-hyun - was nominated as the new prime minister for South Korea on Wednesday.
The nomination, which requires parliamentary approval, is seen as an effort by the conservative Park to reach out to liberals for bipartisan support.
"This replacement of the prime minister and finance minister can't be happening without discussing it with the opposition," Park Jie-won, leader of the opposition People's Party, told a party meeting. "We won't stand by such a move to turn around the current situation with the personnel change."
An affair of politics and cult swirls in Seoul
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Park named Financial Services Commission chairman Yim Jong-yong as finance minister and deputy prime minister. Yim, who will replace incumbent minister Yoo Il-ho, is well-regarded by policy makers and business leaders in his current role.
The goal is to restore some public confidence amid a political scandal that involves Park's longtime friend - Choi Soon Sil - who was taken in for questioning on Monday, a day after returning from two months in Germany. South Korean prosecutors asked a court on Wednesday to issue an arrest warrent for Choi Soon Sil, the Yonhap News Agency reported. She has reportedly been charged with abuse of power and attempted fraud.
A popularity low
Thousands rallied in Seoul over the weekend, demanding Park's resignation, while the latest public surveys put Park's approval rating at about 10 percent, the lowest since her inauguration in February 2013. The surveys showed about half of respondents believing Park should resign or be impeached.
The reshuffles came as prosecutors investigated whether Choi Soon Sil - who has no official role - used her ties with the president to pull government strings and push businesses to donate money to foundations she controlled.
A televised apology by Park last week for giving Choi access to draft speeches during the first months of her presidency has done little to deflect demands that Park reveal the full nature of her ties with Choi. The scandal has already obliged her to fire eight presidential aides.
Choi was taken in for questioning on Monday, a day after returning from two months in Germany.
Prosecutors said Choi was detained so as to prevent her from potentially destroying evidence. Choi has denied any wrongdoing, saying that she only helped the president write speeches and that she would accept any punishment if she was found guilty of criminal acts.
South Koreans: “Peace is what we need”
For more than 60 years, a ceasefire has brought peace to the Korean peninsula. But the north/south divide is still a contentious issue on both sides of the border. South Koreans tell us what they think about North Korea.
Image: DW/Y. Zarbakhch
Two countries, one people - no peace
There is still no official peace between North and South Korea, despite the Korean War ending more than 60 years ago. Citizens remain separated by the “demilitarized zone” (DMZ), one of the most heavily armed borders in the world. Around 600,000 South Korean and 28,500 US troops face off against an estimated 770,000 North Korean soldiers stationed within 80 kilometers of the DMZ.
Image: DW/Y. Zarbakhch
Cold War relic
North Korea was founded as a communist country with support from both the Soviet Union and China, but over the years North Korea’s government has shifted away from the tradition of Marx and Lenin. Now, Juche or “self-reliance” and a “military first” policy are the guiding principles of the Kim dynasty.
Image: DW/Y. Zarbakhch
Families divided
The forced separation of the Korean people split up many families. More than six decades on, some of those connections are starting to fade. Still, there are more than 70,000 people waiting to take part in government-backed family reunions.
Image: DW/Y. Zarbakhch
A legacy of human rights abuses
Observers, including the UN and Human Rights Watch, have roundly criticized North Korea for human rights abuses including mass imprisonment, murder and enslavement. But, North Korea claims its citizens “enjoy genuine human rights”. The reclusive country argues human rights exist for the good of the state and say the rights of the individual could never replace the rights of the collective.
Image: DW/Y. Zarbakhch
Cut off from the world
In North Korea, all media is closely controlled and possessing foreign books and music or listening to broadcasts from across the border can result in prison sentences. People also have a skewed view of western culture - hamburgers were invented by Kim Jong Il in 2009.
Image: DW/Y. Zarbakhch
A country suffering
While South Korea has turned itself into a technological superpower, North Korea’s government has struggled to supply its citizens with even basic foodstuffs. The UN estimates that more than a quarter of children under five show signs of chronic malnutrition.
Image: DW/Y. Zarbakhch
Missed opportunities
Some had hoped that when western-educated Kim Jong Un took over in Pyongyang in 2011 it would usher in a new era in relations between the North and the South. But those hopes were soon dashed as Kim continued the restrictive policies of his father.
Image: DW/Y. Zarbakhch
Hope for the future
But despite the continuing state of war, many of the South Koreans we spoke to expressed their hope that relations would get better one day. The best future for many would be a reunited Korea.
