Phantom President (허깨비 대통령)

[안준철]

2016. 5. 25.

5월 25일자 코리아타임즈 사설은 국회상임위 청문회를 활성화하는 내용을 담은 국회법 개정안에 대한 대통령 거부권 행사 가능성과 그 우려에 대하여 논평하고 있다. 

청문회가 상시적으로 운영됨으로써 초래될 수도 있는 국정마비 등의 문제점들에 대해서는 일면 수긍하면서도, 만약 야당이 청문회를 수단으로 맹목적인 정부 발목잡기를 강행한다면 얼마 남지 않은 차기 대통령 선거에서 국민들이 야당에 표를 주지 않을 것임으로 야당이 청문회를 만병통치약( panacea)으로 남용하지는 못할 것으로 내다 보았다.  따라서 대통령의 거부권 행사는 불필요하고 적절하지 못하다는 것이 논평의 요지다.   

또 다른 사설의 제목은 Phantom President이다. 'Phantom'은 유령, 허깨비 등의 별로 좋지 않은 뜻을 가진 단어다.  좀 더 자세히 살펴보면 다음과 같다.

phantom.(다음 영어사전)  

명사

1.

환영, 환상, 영상, 화신(化身), 심상(image); 유령, 허깨비

phantoms of the past 과거의 망령.

2.

유명무실[허정][한 것[사람]][of ‥].

3.

[…의] 상징[of ‥].

4.

(미·속어) 가명으로 일하는 사람.

5.

(미·속어) 관리와 내통하는 사람.

형용사

(한정적) 환영[착각]의; 유령의[같은]; 겉꾸림[외관상]의; 정체불명의

a phantom company 유령 회사

이런 뜻을 종합하여 해석하자면 

Phantom President 은 유명 무실한 정체불명의 허깨비 대통령인 셈이다. 코리아타임즈 사설은 이런 대통령의 정서상태를 표현하는 영어단어로 disengaged를 사용했다. 자세한 뜻은 다음과 같다.

disengaged(다음 영어사전)

형용사

1.

약속이 없는; 한가한, 파혼한; [장소 등이] 비어 있는.

2.

풀린; 이탈한; 유리되어 있는.

3.

(자동차의) 기어가 들어가 있지 않는; (특정한 입장과) 관련이 없는.

이런 단어의 뜻을 종합하여 그 단어가 들어가는 다음 문장을 이렇게 좀 길게 번역해보았다.

she looks disengaged as if she is beyond reproach.

(그녀는 마치 비난 너머에서 유채이탈한 듯 느슨해 보인다.)

다음은 코리아타임즈 사설 'Phantom President' 전문이다. 앞부분만 번역해보았다. 

Phantom President 허깨비 대통령

Park fails to kick old habit of pulling strings behind the stage

(박대통령은 무대 뒤에서 조율하는 나쁜 습관을 버리지 못하고 있다)

President Park Geun-hye promised to change after her ruling Saenuri Party's resounding defeat in the April 26 parliamentary elections but this hasn't happened so far.(박근혜 대통령은 지난 4월 26일 국회 선거에서 새누리당이 완전 패배한 이후 변화를 약속한 바 있다. 하지만 아직까지 는 전혀다.)

Park still tries to remotely control the party, pushing it to the verge of a "civil war," while making a mockery of the spirit of "cooperative governance" with the opposition. All the while, she looks disengaged as if she is beyond reproach. By doing so, she runs the risk of worsening a stalemate in the opposition-controlled National Assembly and turning her remaining 20 months in office into a vegetative state. Already her approval ratings are threatening to slip below 30 percent.

(박대통령은 당을 내전 직전까지 밀어붙이며 여전히 원격조정을 하고 있고, 야당과의 ‘협치’ 정신도 조롱거리로 만들고 있다. 그녀는 마치 비난 너머에서 유채이탈한 듯 느슨해 보인다. 하지만 이렇게 함으로써 그녀는 야당이 주도하는 국회에서 교착상태 악화의 위기를 가속화하여 결국은 잔여 임기를 20개월 남겨놓은 상태에서 식물 대통령으로 전락할 것이다. 이미 그녀의 지지율은 30퍼센트 이하로 미끄러질 위협을 받고 있다.)

Park showed her typical self regarding the law that would make it easier to hold parliamentary hearings. The law was passed in the final session of the outgoing 19th Assembly with some Saenuri Party lawmakers crossing lines in support. Cheong Wa Dae branded the law as something that would paralyze the government, threatening to veto it. Park has not made a personal appeal or tried to talk to the opposition; and it is speculated that she may let the law stand for a while.

Before that, Park kept herself at a distance as the Saenuri and opposition parties were up in arms over her double entendre about a song to be sung at the anniversary ceremony for the May 18, 1980, Gwangju uprising against a military coup.

In a May 13 meeting she hosted for party leaders, she promised to dignify the "March of the Beloved" song during the ceremony, accepting the opposition's request. She reneged on it without explanation, triggering the opposition to declare it a breach of trust and vowing they wouldn't cooperate with the government.

Then, she saw herself reduced to the role of bystander in the fighting consuming the ruling party.

Rep. Chung Jin-suk, who was elected as floor leader, was facing calls for resignation by members of the pro-Park faction for giving key party posts to those who are considered to be unfriendly to it.

The Park loyalists went to the extremes of showing its intention to split the party and launch a new one composed of lawmakers devoted to the President.

Although it was beyond doubt that her faction was acting on her behalf, she kept quiet. At the height of a controversy befalling the party in the lead-up to last month's elections, she tried not to look to be intervening or remote-controlling the nomination process by her proxies who kicked out her naysayers.

This time ― rumor has it ― Park is thinking of an extension of her conservative rule by a proxy ahead of next year's presidential election. Some of Park's top lieutenants have already talked about bringing in Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary general, in as the party's standard bearer after he finishes his second term in seven months time.

If she is serious about this political reshuffle scenario, chances are that she is mistaken. Above all, her my-way-or-the-highway attitude has lost its appeal significantly; and gift-wrapping it with Ban won't likely work any wonders, even if he signed up for such a deal.

Rather, the best service Park can do to the people now is to finish her term as gracefully as possible, although it is regretful to say, to also help her successor hit the ground running to catch up with lost ground and hopefully get the nation back on track. For that, she should end her divisive rule and reach out to the opposition for change, which for now is looked at the best shot for her to establish a presidential legacy.