Survey: experts give Pres. Park a ‘D’ for her first two years in office

The results of a survey of 20 experts about Park Geun-hye’s performance in her first two years in office, in categories (on the left, from top to bottom) politics, economy, society, foreign affairs/unification, and the average. In the middle are scores ranging from one to four points, and on the right are letter grades (A, B, C, D, or F). The average score was a D.

Those surveyed point to Park’s handling of politics as her greatest failing, and few expect things to improve

Political experts gave President Park Geun-hye a “D” grade for her first two years in office.

Park received an average rating of 1.65 out of four “grade points” from 20 university professors, political experts, and civic/social groups surveyed by the Hankyoreh on the administration’s performance in its first two years. For the survey, which was conducted over a four-day period beginning on Feb. 24, the 20 participants were asked to give a letter grade (A, B, C, D, or F) and a grade point (ranging from four points for an “A” to no points for “F”) on the categories of politics, economy, society, and foreign affairs/unification.

Park’s weakest score was in the area of politics, where she received an average grade of D (1.15 points). Her strongest category, foreign affairs/unification, still earned her a C grade (2.15 points). Additional D grades came in the categories of economy (1.5 points) and society (1.8).

Conservative and progressive experts alike gave Park near-failing marks for her performance with politics over the last two years. Assessments ranged from more extreme judgments - such as Kookmin University professor Mok Jin-hyu’s conclusion that Park “has basically rejected politics” or Chung-Ang University emeritus professor Lee Sang-don criticizing Park for “shunning politics completely” - to more specific criticisms about her poor nomination choices and lack of communication between the Blue House and Park’s her own ruling Saenuri Party (NFP) or the opposition.

The only positive assessments came in foreign affairs and unification, where Hanshin University professor Yoon Pyung-joong said there had been a “somewhat greater emphasis on stability.”

As the issues requiring the most concerted efforts from Park over the next three years, eight of the experts pointed to normalizing inter-Korean relations and lifting the ban on exchange with the so-called “May 24 measures” imposed after the 2010 ROKS Cheonan sinking, while seven each called for “restoring politics” through better communication with the opposition and stronger Blue House/Saenuri Party relations and a “major social compromise” on welfare and tax-related issues.

But most the experts predicted the administration’s performance would only get worse (eight) or remain the same (seven) over the remainder of its term, with just five out of 20 predicting improvements. When asked to rate the possibility of an NFP president being elected in 2017, six each said “generally high,” “even,” or “generally low,” while two listed it as “very low.”

By Lee Seung-joon, staff reporter

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