S. Korean nominee for defense chief withdraws candidacy

PanARMENIAN.Net - South Korean President Park Geun-hye's nominee for defense chief withdrew his candidacy on Friday, March 22, according to Reuters.

The blunders with appointments began with the withdrawal of her first choice as prime minister over charges of inappropriate real estate deals even before she took office on February 25.

Park, South Korea's first woman leader, was also without a finance minister until Friday, March 22, when she finally filled the post and two other cabinet seats. Her choice for vice justice minister resigned on Thursday amid a sex scandal.

North Korea, which has made no secret of its hatred for Park and last week referred to the "venomous swish" of her skirt, has threatened to attack the South and the United States on a daily basis since she took office.

It has also been blamed for a cyber attack on commercial banks and broadcasters this week.

Retired Gen. Kim Byung-kwan withdrew his name for the post of defense chief amid opposition objections to his failure to disclose activities as a lobbyist for a defense contractor.

Park's refusal to drop Kim when the criticism first surfaced was seen as a sign of an ineffectual leader unwilling to change her mind. Critics say her private and introverted management style is taking its toll as her popularity ratings start to sag.

They say she has stumbled because of her reliance on a group of loyalists who served her well for more than a decade as a legislator but have now rendered her actions ineffectual.

Kim's decision to step aside came amid growing political pressure on her to make a move in the face of the threats from the unpredictable North.

The presidential Blue House later announced Park will keep the defense minister from the previous administration, Kim Kwan-jin, because "the situation is too urgent to be holding up time for political debate and nomination hearing" to select a new candidate.

"She made the decision so that we can focus on stabilizing a crisis situation and easing public anxiety," Park's spokeswoman, Kim Haeng, told a briefing.