Only recently we have published an article describing how Moon Jae-in is strengthening his position of power via a large-scale "clean-up", and yet one scandal follows after another.
For instance, the act of
reforming the police force, sub-divided into the local branch (which will be accountable to mayors)
and the religious one (which will remain under the stewardship of the central government), is being threatened with, in the view of may experts, a possible lack of coordination in their work. In addition, ineffective working practices of the local law enforcement agencies are also highlighted considering the fact that they will have additional authority in ensuring public safety in the wake of the reforms. The author also believes that
because of the Korean reluctance to wash their dirty linen in public, the number of crimes swept under the rug will rise substantially so as to keep the statistics in line. And these are the more palatable outcomes of these reforms in comparison to the possibility that corrupt local authorities, with their propensity for domestic sexual abuse, will gain impunity on account of the new system.
On 15 November, the South Korean government established
seven criteria that a potential candidate for a leadership role should meet. It will become impossible for a candidate to fill such a post if he / she or their lineal kin are found to have evaded military service; failed to comply with tax regulations; committed real estate fraud; unlawfully changed their place of registration with the aim of attaining financial gains, or plagiarized scientific publications.
This is a de facto attempt to legally enforce what Moon Jae-in had promised on more than one occasion: to prevent anyone who has ever committed even such a minor violation from coming to power. But, despite voicing such views, under the guise of exceptional and extraordinary circumstances,
Moon Jae-in has, on several occasions, brought to power people, who had been found guilty of such offences. The latest scandal involved the appointment of the 63-year-old Cho Myung-Rae to the post of Minister of Environment.
Comment:
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