THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary-December 10, 2016- Topic 2
When Park Geun-hye assumed office as South
Korea’s first woman President in early 2013 on a wave of popularity, not many could have foreseen her
impeachment on corruption charges less than four years later. Such has been the
impact of the scandal that several lawmakers from her own Saenuri Party voted
in favour of the impeachment resolution brought in by the opposition in
Parliament. The crisis was sparked by revelations two months ago that Ms. Park
had abused her powers to help a confidante, Choi Soon-sil, extort money from
companies for her foundations. Since then, the Korean media have carried
stories of Ms. Choi’s access to the President’s office and her influence in
decision-making. The crisis was handled ineptly by Ms. Park and her aides. She
never bothered to explain her position directly to the public, and did not take
her party into confidence. She stayed away from the press and the opposition,
perhaps hoping the crisis would blow over. But with a 4 per cent approval
rating, she soon became the most unpopular leader South Korea has had since its
transition to a democracy in the late-1980s. And an impeachment appeared
certain in the wake of opposition protests that attracted over a million people
to Seoul.
South Korean Presidents are no strangers to corruption scandals. But in Ms.
Park’s case, the allegation that the President was being controlled by a
puppeteer seemed to have aggravated the public anger. Moreover, Ms. Park’s
record in office was far from exemplary. The economy continued to sputter under
her rule with growth rate falling to 2.6 per cent in 2015, the slowest since
2012. Her decision to reach an agreement with the United States to deploy an
advanced missile system to counter threats from North Korea was not popular
domestically, and also increased tensions in the Korean Peninsula. Relations
with China too steadily deteriorated under Ms. Park. South Korea needs a
clear-headed leadership both to reboot the economy and to take strategic
decisions with a long-term perspective. And given the bitterness and
administrative paralysis of the past couple of months, it needs someone at the
helm who is free of scandal and has popular support. Unfortunately, the
impeachment has pushed South Korea into a protracted interregnum — the Constitutional
Court can take up to six months to decide if Ms. Park has to go or whether her
powers can be restored. Ms. Park could have avoided pushing the country into
this period of uncertainty had she resigned before the parliamentary vote. But
she chose to cling on, leaving lawmakers with no option but to trigger the
impeachment process.
Vocabulary
Foreseen: be aware of beforehand; predict.
Example: We did not foresee any difficulties
Synonyms: anticipate, predict, forecast, expect, envisage, envision, see, foretell
Resolution: a firm decision to do or not
to do something.
Example: She kept her resolution not to see Anne any more
Synonyms: intention, resolve, decision, intent, aim, plan, commitment
Abused: use something to bad effect or for a bad purpose; misuse.
Example: The judge abused his power by imposing the fines
Synonyms: misuse, misapply, misemploy, exploit, take
advantage of
Transition: the process or a period of
changing from one state or condition to another.
Example: Students in transition from one program to another
Synonyms: change, passage, move, transformation, conversion, metamorphosis
Puppeteer: a person who works puppets.
Example: Any performers are welcome to share their skills at the open mike session -
musicians, dancers, poets, puppeteers , raconteurs and actors.
Exemplary: serving as a desirable model; representing the best of
its kind.
Example: An award for exemplary community service
Synonyms: perfect, ideal, model, faultless, flawless, impeccable, irreproachable
Deteriorated: become progressively worse.
Example: Relations between the countries had deteriorated sharply
Synonyms: worsen, decline, degenerate, fail, slump, slip, go
downhill, wane
Bitterness: sharpness of taste; lack of
sweetness.
Example: The lime juice imparts a slight bitterness
Synonyms: sharpness, acidity, acridity, tartness, sourness, harshness, acerbity
Protracted: lasting for a long time or
longer than expected or usual.
Example: A protracted and bitter dispute
Synonyms: prolonged, long-lasting, extended, long-drawn-out, spun
out
Interregnum: a period when normal
government is suspended, especially between successive reigns or regimes.
Example:
Ancient Mesopotamia is a
symbolic resource for a future Iraq as it was once before during a short
interregnum before the Ba'athist regime came to power in 1963.
