Was it a stunt to promote her political agenda or a vengeful act of sibling rivalry? Either way, Geun-ryeong, the younger sister of President Park Geun-hye, created a melodramatic farce at the lowest level, exacerbating an ideological divide and raising an interesting question about individuals’ rights to self-expression.
To give away a conclusion first, we urge the younger Park to appreciate the value of silence and show some respect to the nation’s highest office, an institution temporarily held by her sister.
First, here is a recap. The younger Park recently told a Japanese portal that Korea should stop seeking Japan’s apologies for World War II atrocities against Korea; that it should be up to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe whether to visit the Yasukuni Shrine and that colonial Japan helped the nation’s industrialization.
Geun-ryeong’s remarks may be dismissed as an ill-considered outburst by a misinformed individual. It is attracting disproportionate attention, pitting a lot of cons against few pros online and spilling over to offline disputes.
The younger sister appears spiteful. She had a falling-out with her elder sister over control of a children’s welfare foundation, and they are now not on speaking terms. They crossed the bridge of no return over Geun-ryeong’s engagement and subsequent marriage to Shin Dong-wook, a professor 14 years younger, against the wishes of the big sister.
Shin now leads the Republican Party he launched in 2014. The party, named after the one led by the late President Park Chung-hee, father of the two sisters, glorifies him as honorary chairman. It is not represented in the National Assembly. Already, some argue that Geun-ryeong’s act was intended as a battle cry to rally supporters behind the “New Right” movement for an ultra-conservative revisionist interpretation of history and justify what critics claim were the late Park’s acts of collaboration with Japanese imperialists. Geun-ryeong may be enjoying a political boost in the form of public attention but it carries a risk. Abe can readily find a political friend in Geun-ryeong in a political battle with President Park and, by extension, Korea. Just imagine Abe and his underlings telling their critics, “Listen to the sister of Korea’s current President and daughter of the former head of state and father of its industrialization.”
There is no denying she is entitled to her opinion and reserves the right to speak her mind on any issue within legally permissible limits, and she has not violated any law so far.
She would not have received so much attention if she was not the President’s sister. So we expect her to consider her position and behave with common sense and some dignity. This advice also goes to President Park’s younger brother and the siblings of future presidents. For them, it is worth remembering how the elder brothers of the previous two presidents got into trouble.