Pres. Park cancels US trip over MERS, then schedules nothing related to the outbreak / the hankyoreh

Pres. Park cancels US trip over MERS, then schedules nothing related to the outbreak Posted on : Jun.12,2015 15:25 KST Modified on : Jun.12,2015 15:25 KST     Response by the president to outbreak has been mostly monotonous reading of prepared scripts during meetings   Even though President Park Geun-hye delayed a trip to the US because of the emergency caused by the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), she did not take any action related to the outbreak on June 11, the day after announcing the delay.   On June 10, the Blue House announced that Park was pushing back her scheduled trip to the US so that she could concentrate on responding to the MERS outbreak.   But on June 11, Park had nothing on her agenda related to the outbreak - she neither visited any sites nor presided over any meetings. The only item on her official agenda for the day was a meeting with Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress, who visited the Blue House in the afternoon.   The only public statement that Park has made about MERS this week came during the regular cabinet meeting on June 9, when she urged the public to continue ordinary economic activity and ordered related ministries to take necessary measures, saying that “MERS must not be allowed to damage the economy.”   But even during that meeting, Park was still more concerned about scoring political points, calling for a “crackdown on rumors” and criticizing the “unilateral action of local governments,” without expressing any remorse for the failure of the government’s initial response to the outbreak.   After Park gave the first instructions to take steps to counter MERS during a meeting of senior secretaries at the Blue House on June 1, 12 days after the first patient was diagnosed, she has participated in a total of four events related to MERS. One of these was presiding over a public-private emergency assessment meeting on June 3; another was visiting the National Medical Center on June 5.   In addition, all of the action that Park has taken in regard to MERS has involved communicating instructions to government ministers or to Blue House secretaries. She has failed to instill a sense of urgency with her monotonous reading of prepared scripts during meetings, and she has failed to create the impression that she has the situation under control.   The Blue House objects that Park is intimately involved with the battle against MERS and that she gets up early to receive frequent reports and issue directions. Some contend that Park is fully committed to tackling the outbreak, even canceling her trip to the US, and suggest that criticizing her for a passive response shows a faulty understanding of the situation.   But those in the political world counter that Park’s style of governing is to blame for her problematic response to crisis situations. Park’s behavior stands in sharp contrast with local government leaders who make personal appearances, preside over meetings, and give briefings to the media.   It also contrasts with the behavior of Saenuri Party leader Kim Moo-sung, who on Thursday visited a restaurant that a MERS patient had supposedly been to in an effort to calm locals.   “The president has a symbolic value. For example, even if it was mostly staged when Obama hugged a nurse who had recovered during the Ebola outbreak, it still showed his commitment as a leader to reassure the public,” one two-term lawmaker with the Saenuri Party said. “Unfortunately, Park seems to be a little lacking in that department.”   “President Park hit rock bottom in her response to MERS. Delaying her trip to the US reflects the sense of crisis. She can’t suddenly change her personality, so it probably won’t be easy for her to restore her leadership,” said a source in the Saenuri Party.     By Seok Jin-hwan, Blue House correspondent     Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]